The British and Chinese governments are currently in negotiations to produce a bilateral agreement aimed at relaxing the current visa regime for Chinese nationals wanting to visit Britain as part of organised tour groups.

If an agreement can be reached, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) has estimated that around 100 million Chinese people will be able to travel overseas in the next 17 years, which could potentially open up a huge new market for the British tourism industry.

In effect, if the British/Chinese negotiations are successful and an agreement is reached, it would mean that Chinese nationals in tour groups would not individually need to apply for visas. Instead, the onus of responsibility would lie with their travel operator.

Based around a version of the EU Approved Destination Status (ADS), the agreement is understood to be conditional on watertight Chinese readmission provisions for any tourists who overstay or don't return with their tour group.

A spokesperson for VisitBritain said: "With Chinese nationals now travelling a lot wider and further, this is a key new market for us. "