The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation with China, signed yesterday between Prime Minister Julie Gillard and Premier Wen Jiabao, has been hailed by the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) as an opportunity to “increase yield and expand our product” into an export market which is now Australia’s largest.
“China has just moved into first place as Australia’s biggest export market in expenditure and the forecast is for this market to continue to grow rapidly through 2020,” ATEC chairman John King said.
“With a rapidly growing wealthy middle class, an …

BRISBANE, Australia, March 9 (Xinhua) — China has surpassed the United Kingdom (UK) as Australia’s most valuable tourism market, a survey released by the Australian Government Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism on Wednesday found.
Tourism Research Australia’s December 2010 quarterly results of the international visitor survey showed a 5 percent increase in international visitors in 2010, and a 4 percent rise in their spending.
Almost 5,441,000 people came to Australia in 2010 and they spent 18 billion AU dollars (18.13 billion U.S. dollars) on their trips, the report said.
In terms of …

China’s Hainan Airlines, has launched direct flights between two southern Chinese cities and Sydney, as tourism authorities predict that China is on its way to becoming Australia’s biggest inbound tourism market, SBS’ Cassandra Hill reports.
The expected boost comes as some Queensland tourism operators say they are counting on the Oprah effect to counter cancellations and poor bookings, following the state’s flood crisis.
Hainan Airlines and Sydney Airport executives say that there is a strong demand from the booming economic centres of Shenzen and Hangzhou.
“Since Hainan Airlines launched its first flight between …

Interview with Australian Ambassador Dr. Geoff Raby on Chinese Tourist Cities
Reporter:
As an old friend of Chinese people who first visited China in 1986, which Chinese city has made the deepest impression on you? What are the most popular Chinese cities for Australians?

Dr. Geoff Raby:
It’s a difficult question to answer. I like many Chinese cities. What I appreciate is the uniqueness of different Chinese cities. The ones I have been to, the most，would be Qingdao, Shanghai, Wuhan, Dalian and Harbin.

I have to say I like the cities on the coast because …

THE number of Chinese visiting the Far North has almost doubled in a year, while the Japanese are almost back to pre global financial crisis levels, the latest data reveals.
The International Visitor Survey for the year ended September 2010 shows Chinese holiday makers are up by 81 per cent to 58,000 while the Japanese have almost topped 100,000 (98,000 and -1 per cent).
Overall, international holidaymakers to the region have grown by 1 per cent to total 612,000, up 6000 on 2009.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Rob Giason said …

CANBERRA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) on Thursday said it sees China as the industry’s lustrous pearl.
Data of Tourism Research Australia earlier showed a 19 percent increase in Chinese visitor arrivals in Australia in the year to September.
According to ATEC Managing Director Matt Hingerty, there are markets other than China, like India, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia that are coming back to Australia strongly.
However, he said China is the big contributor to Australia’s tourism, partly because of the two way trade in commodities which is …

Chinese holidaymakers are rescuing NSW from its tourism slump as the state attracts visitors previously held back by recession.
Tourism Research Australia (TRA) says Chinese tourists were the most common visitors to NSW, amounting to 15.4 per cent of total travellers, followed by people from the United Kingdom at 10.9 per cent.
The managing director of the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), Matthew Hingerty, says the figures show the need to capitalise on the Chinese market.
‘Not only do the Chinese want our coal and iron but our sun, our smiles, our sights, …

THE Chinese are coming. By their millions. As tourists. And it will change our economy in ways that we cannot even imagine.
Tourism is already our third largest export industry behind only coal and iron ore. Almost six million people will visit this year. The industry employs more than half a million people.
In terms of numbers of visitors, China is already our fourth largest source of tourists, but in terms of their value to our economy, Chinese tourists rank second, just behind the UK. But that is based on only …

The Visa and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey 2010 has found mainland Chinese travelers plan to travel most out of all Greater China travelers.
The Survey, which was conducted in May 2010 and interviewed 1,571 people in the Greater China region, found that on average, mainland Chinese travelers are planning for 7.4 business and leisure trips in the next two years, compared with the 5.6 and 4.5 trips anticipated by Hong Kong and Taiwanese travelers.
The results also show that Greater China travelers are less affected by …

MANDARIN translations on our street signs could lead to thousands more Chinese holiday-makers finding their way to the sun, sand and surf of the Gold Coast.
Gold Coast City councillor Peter Young flagged the concept that Mandarin versions of key places could sit alongside the English names as a way to welcome more high-end tourists and investment into the city from China.
It would not be the first time the Gold Coast has signalled its status as a multi-lingual location — shops and directional signs commonly bore Japanese throughout the city in …

CANBERRA, June 21 – Australian federal government on Monday announced spending of 30 million dollars (26.3 million U.S. dollars) on luring more Chinese tourists to Australia.
“China is expected to emerge as Australia’s number one source market for international visitors in the next few years,” Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said in a statement.
The government will stage a forum “in the near future” in Cairns of Queensland on boosting two-way tourism.
A key goal is to tempt more Chinese visitors, especially from regional areas, to north Queensland.
Tourism Australia’s “There’s Nothing Like Australia” …