Bath’s most famous visitor attraction and one of the area’s most innovative businesses are benefitting from the Prime Minister’s high-profile visit to China as head of the UK’s largest trade delegation to the fast-growing country.
The city’s Roman Baths have signed up as a founding member of VisitBritain’s China Welcome Charter which could put it on the map for large numbers of Chinese tourists.
And Bradford-on-Avon based Moulton Bicycles has signed a £500,000 deal with its Chinese distributor to build and supply a special model that will only go on sale in China – a country known for its huge number of cyclists.
Moulton Bicycles marketing director Steve Harvey was among representatives of more than 120 British companies, including around 60 small and medium-sized firms, on the three-day visit to China, which aimed to take the economic relationship between the two countries to a new level.
The firm, which celebrated its golden jubilee last year, will make its China-only model out of lightweight stainless steel.
It said: “Moulton bicycles are becoming increasingly popular with Chinese customers, who follow other markets in the region such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore etc. in their admiration of this iconic British made product.” 
Pictured: Prime Minister David Cameron with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing's Great Hall of the People
Trade and investment deals totalling more than £5.6bn were signed between UK and Chinese firms during the visit – the largest-ever trade mission led by a Prime Minister to China.
The China Welcome Charter will showcase, promote and develop how the UK travel industry can cater to the needs of Chinese visitors.
Founding members include Virgin Atlantic, Gretna Green, the Celtic Manor Hotel, the John Lewis partnership, Selfridges and Harrods.
Bath & North East Somerset Council cabinet member for sustainable development, Councillor Ben Stevens said: “We’re proud to sign the Roman Baths up to VisitBritain’s China Welcome Charter.
“More than seven years ago, the 2,000-year-old site became the first visitor attraction in the UK to extend its foreign language audio guide interpretation to include Mandarin. Since then, the Roman Baths has gone from strength to strength; with the number of Mandarin-speaking visitors increasing five-fold – from around 12,000 in 2005 to over 61,000 in the first 10 months of this year.”
"This huge rise now accounts for almost a quarter (23%) of all the foreign language-speakers who visit the Roman Baths and they now outnumber visitors from France – our nearest neighbour!
“Last year Bath & North East Somerset Council rolled out the successful Mandarin audio guides to one of its other heritage attractions – the Fashion Museum – as a way of enticing Chinese visitors to enjoy their stay in Bath even longer. Mandarin immediately became one of the most frequently requested languages at the Fashion Museum as well. We believe that offering more incentives like this, to encourage more overseas visitors to come and stay in the area for longer, can only be good for the local economy.”
UK Trade & Investment’s China adviser in the South West, Antoaneta Becker, added: “Trading with China is often seen as a daunting prospect due to the cultural differences. However, many South West companies have enjoyed considerable success there. The opportunities for business in China are not just in the well-known Chinese business centres of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, but also further a field in numerous emerging regional centres.
“Realising the opportunity though requires continuous updating of your knowledge and understanding of how this massive economy operates. Preparation, planning and research are key to entering any new market and China is no exception. Understanding the cultural variations is vital if you are to be successful in this thriving export market.”
