China Outbound Daily: The Why-London-sucks-at-getting-Chinese-visitors edition

Editor’s note: We’ve recently started a new daily roundup of news affecting outbound business, for countries trying to attract Chinese travelers. Follow all news from ChinaOB Daily, here.

• How can London catch up in attracting Chinese tourists: Great insights not just for London, but other cities trying to attract Chinese tourists, especially for retail and shopping.
• UK’s ‘outdated’ view of China costs tourism £4 million a day, says London casino boss: Simon Thomas, the chief executive and co-owner of the Hippodrome in the West End, claimed London was missing out on millions of pounds because Chinese visitors to Europe have to fill out a separate visa forms for Britain.
• How France is benefiting from Chinese tourists over Britain: The number of Chinese visitors to France jumped by more than 23 per cent last year, new figures show, in the latest sign the country is trouncing Britain in attracting the highly-prized Asian customers.
• Even South Dakota is looking for a way to increase inbound Chinese tourism: South Dakota tourism officials recently hosted the first-ever Chinese familiarization tour of the state for Chinese tour operators.
• Israel starts a big push for Chinese tourists: The Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau announced a new campaign to attract visitors from China to Israel. On Monday, the Israel Government Tourist Office in China opened a week-long seminars in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
• Germany set to woo Chinese tourists: Most Chinese only know Germany for its beer, sausages and soccer. German tourism bureaus and operators want to expand that knowledge and attract more Chinese tourists with excellent service and colorful tourism products.
• Chinese tourists buy more apparel in Spain: Tourists from China spend the most on buying apparels in Spain, according to ‘The Textile Trade in Figures 2012’ report released by the Spanish Business Association of Textile Trade (Acotex)….According to the report, every Chinese tourist spent an average of €834.12 on buying apparel in Spain in 2012, while tourist from Japan spent an average of €623.41 on trip to Spain.