THESE visiting tour operators swapped the Great Wall of China for the great city walls of York.

The 22 Chinese tour operators visited the major sights of York and vowed: "We'll be back with thousands more from our country."

Kay Hyde, spokesperson for York Tourism Bureau, was showing the tour operators what the ancient English capital had to offer, knowing that restrictions on travel to the UK have been lifted.

Before, only those Chinese on business or educational trips were able to obtain visas. Now, under an agreement by both governments, travel is open to any Chinese who want to holiday in the UK.

Visit Britain, the tourism organisation, estimates that over the next year the number of Chinese visitors to the UK will leap from 100,000 to one million as a result.

Kay, who also accompanied her party of Beijing and Shanghai tour organisers to York's McArthurGlen designer outlet store, on a ghost walk and to the White Swan pub, said: "They really enjoyed themselves. Now we are preparing for an extra share of the Chinese tourist market. Of the four million visitors to York each year, about 800,000, or 20 per cent, are from overseas. Of these 30 per cent are from the US, 41 per cent from Western Europe, 16 per cent from Australasia and 7.5 per cent from the Far East and Malaysia - an increase of six per cent over the year.

"York is placed at an advantage in this new market, especially as they are fascinated by our history and mega-keen on shopping for designer labels."

Updated: 10:53 Thursday, March 10, 2005