YORK based attraction operator Continuum is preparing to welcome a projected influx of Chinese tourists in 2015 following an ambassadorial visit.

Earlier this month Continuum Attractions, which operates seven sites across the UK from its base in Margaret Street, welcomed Chinese Ambassador for the United Kingdom, Liu Xiaoming, to its Spinnaker Tower attraction as three Chinese warships arrived in Portsmouth's dockyard.

The company is now working to make its attractions "China ready" as a key priority for 2015 in light of research revealing the Chinese visitor market is one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism.

Sarah Webb, general manager of the Spinnaker Tower, said: "I was delighted to welcome the Chinese Ambassador to the Spinnaker Tower to showcase the iconic building and its stunning views of the Solent on the South Coast of England.

"Inbound tourism from China is becoming incredibly important to Britain’s economy and it was a pleasure to demonstrate to the Ambassador how China ready the Spinnaker Tower is."

Elsewhere Continuum's home attraction York Chocolate Story was commended "the most popular attraction for Chinese tourists" by VisitYork’s new Chinese Tourism recruit April Yang.

Continuum spokesperson Laura Good said: "Research by China Outbound Tourism Research Institute suggests visitors from China look to gain knowledge of another culture from their trip.

"As each Continuum attraction is carefully crafted with the vision of telling stories of history, architecture, literature, landscape and culture in real places across the UK, they prove the perfect opportunity to gain a ‘snapshot’ of cultural understanding in Britain."

Continuum welcomes more than a million visitors a year to its attractions, which also include The Real Mary King's Close in Edinburgh, The Canterbury Tales in Canterbury, Oxford Castle Unlocked in Oxford, and Coronation Street the Tour in Manchester.

The business, which has a turnover of more than £12 million and employs more than 400 tourism professionals across its UK sites, has outlined plans to increase its annual visitor numbers at its seven sites from one million to four million.

Over the next five years, bosses also plan to expand their portfolio to 15 attractions.