Plea to ease UK visas for Chinese tourists George Osborne has urged the Home Office to make UK visas more accessible to high-spending Chinese tourists who are increasingly shunning London and visiting European capitals such as Paris and Berlin. Theresa May, home secretary, has been under pressure to streamline the system since the summer, when Jeremy Hunt, the former culture secretary, announced an ambitious plan to treble the number of Chinese tourists coming to the UK by 2015. At the moment just over 80 per cent of Chinese visiting Europe get a Schengen visa, enabling travel across continental Europe, 11 per cent get a UK visa and only 7 per cent get both. While the Home Office has resisted calls to relax visa rules, the Treasury fears that an uncompetitive Chinese tourist market could impact growth. Chinese visitors are particularly sought after since they spend on average £1,618 on a trip to Britain, which is three times more than the average spend by other international tourists. In an attempt to boost the UK's shopping credentials, retailers including Harrods, Selfridges and John Lewis are going on the biggest ever trade visit of its kind to China in November, but many are still concerned that the visa issue is not being properly addressed in government. "Now the Treasury has realised it is important, but the Home Office are not recognising it is one of the primary issues they need to resolve," said Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods. Treasury officials say the chancellor supports the need for strict immigration controls, but he has encouraged the home secretary to implement them "in the most efficient way." One idea being considered is to print the 10-page visa application forms in Mandarin as well as English. Walpole, a consortium of luxury brands, and the New West End Company, which represent top London stores, are due to meet UK Border Agency representatives on Monday to discuss the issue. Guy Salter, deputy chairman at Walpole, supports a parallel system in which Chinese tourists apply simultaneously for UK and Schengen visas "through one front door," submitting only one set of biometric data. He also favours an expedited paid-for visa service akin to the UKBA's £6,000 "premium" option for those wanting to extend their stay in the UK without waiting for an appointment. An aide to Mrs May denied the department was under any pressure from the Treasury, and said the chancellor was "absolutely on side" in managing immigration to the UK. For some Chinese visitors struggling to get into Britain, the complex visa system is not just an administrative hassle, it also risks a crucial loss of "face," write Helen Warrell and Hannah Kuchler. Travel companies and retailers complain that the UK system lags behind the European Schengen system in ease, speed and cost. The UK visa application form is 10 pages long, compared with four for Schengen, and must be completed in English, not Mandarin, and is valid for 30 days, compared with 90 for Schengen. Mark Henderson, chairman of retailer Gieves & Hawkes, said a Chinese friend described the UK visa application process as "humiliating."