Tourism visas for visitors to Britain from China are to be valid for two years as from 2016, Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Oct 21.

The extension of the visa period from the current six months is aimed at bringing significant benefits to the British economy by making it easier for visiting Chinese residents, said Cameron.

A new 10-year multiple entry visa is to also be made available to Chinese visitors.

At the same time, the mobile fingerprinting service which makes it easier to apply for a British visa is to be expanded from nine to 50 Chinese cities.

The standard six-month British visitor visa currently costs 85 pounds ($132). The new two-year visitor visa and the 10-year visitor visa, when they are introduced, will cost the same as the standard visitor visa no matter how many visits are made.

Chinese tourists currently contribute around $775 million annually to the British economy with record numbers visiting Britain.