Chinese tourism boom goes from strength to strength
Staff ReporterDecember 7, 2020
The number of Chinese tourists was up 23 percent to 1.6 million in the year to September, and spending in the year to July was up 27 percent to $8.9 billion according to figures from Tourism Australia.
Australia now tops China’s rankings of destinations, with a new generation of tourists are seeking immersive experiences, not days spent in tour buses, according to John O’Sullivan, chief executive officer of Tourism Australia.
He said Tourism Australia has been running a large-scale campaign in China this year, including promotional videos on massive screens at subway lines, in Beijing and elsewhere.
"There was a boom in Japanese tourism in the 1980s and 1990s, but not on the scale or rapidity of this, aided by the growing number of Chinese cities with direct flights," he said.
"The “millennial” visitors, a third of the total from China, are also seeking the type of experience they can’t have back home, and that their friends might not yet have had – so they can claim social media bragging rights.
"This new generation of inbound tourist use their smartphones constantly, expect free WiFi, they use Union Pay to access to cash. They want to be assured that they have access to their staples, congee for breakfast, staff who speak their language and a safe modern hotel.
"They are seeking out self-drive holidays and learning to surf. The destination has changed, previously they may have gone for a long haul destination, North America or Europe, however, as they have become more confident about booking their own holidays, they have rapidly turned to Australia.
"This new generation of tourist likes to shop too, they rely on Australia’s clean image, putting faith in the fact that products are authentic in Australia, they are truly modern consumers, they look for the brands. Tasmania has surged in the last couple of years, particularly after a visit by China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan. Tasmania’s lavender bear has also become something of a cult sensation, because it can only be bought at the Bridestowe Lavender Estate farm door in Tasmania."