British Airways has signed up to VisitBritain’s pioneering new initiative, the GREAT China Welcome Charter.
The GREAT China Welcome Charter was unveiled at Blenheim Palace and aims to establish Britain as the most welcoming destination in Europe for Chinese travellers. The GREAT China Welcome charter is designed for British tourism suppliers and companies who are considered ‘China-ready’.
BA joins a host of highly respected brands that also backed the charter, these include: The British Museum, Blenheim Palace, Harrods, Madam Tussauds, Fortnum & Mason and Hilton.
Keith Williams, executive chairman, said: “British Airways is proud to be a founding member of VisitBritain’s GREAT China Welcome Charter, which is an important and unique initiative”.
“With more than 30 years history of flying to China our commitment to the region is stronger than ever. From May 5, direct flights between London Heathrow and Chengdu will increase to five times a week, operated by our brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. British Airways’ mission is ‘To Fly. To Serve.’ and we want to deliver that for all our Chinese customers.”
Sandie Dawe, VisitBritain’s Chief Executive, said: “I’m delighted to have British Airways on board to continue their fantastic work with a country showing record visits and tourism spend in 2013.
“It’s important to recognise that the experience visitors receive begins with their journey to the UK and British Airways is brilliantly equipped to provide a warm British welcome to Chinese visitors keen to explore different parts of Britain.”
BA offers customers with a multitude of accessible and familiar features, such as ba.com translated into Mandarin, highly active and engaged Weibo and WeChat social media sites, Chinese meal options served on board as well as Chinese-speaking pilots, cabin and customer services teams.