Why a Yorkshire chip shop is now a Chinese tourist destination

A Yorkshire chippy off the A64 has become a hotspot for Chinese tourists since Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the UK and sampled the dish.

Scotts Fish and Chips, near York, has seen “a 15-fold increase in Chinese visitors through its doors, and has even translated its menu into Mandarin and Cantonese to cater for the holidaymakers”, reports the Yorkshire Post.

Jinping shared fish and chips with David Cameron in 2015 at The Plough at Cadsden, near the prime minister's official country residence, Chequers.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Since then, “visiting a chippy is a must do for Chinese tourists visiting the country”, claims the Harrogate Informer.

To tap into the growing market, owner Tony Webster has been actively marketing the chip shop to Chinese travel companies.

“This week alone we served more than 100 Chinese tourists in three separate groups. And once here, in addition to tucking into fish and chips, they insist on taking photos both inside and outside the restaurant with the staff,” he said.

“It is a real occasion for them and one they want to share with their friends and family when they return home.”

According to the Yorkshire Post, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Yorkshire has increased by 100% year-on-year since 2012.

“York in particular has benefited from this boom, becoming one of the most popular destinations in the region and country for Chinese holidaymakers,” says the newspaper.

The Plough, the 16th-century Buckinghamshire inn where Cameron was pictured buying a pint for President Jinping (above), has also become a top tourist attraction for Chinese visitors and was bought by Chinese investors in 2016.

“We read the news that President Xi visited here and would love to experience the food and drink that he tasted,” one such visitor told the China Daily.