CHINESE tourists are starting to venture beyond Australia’s big cities in encouraging news for regional tourism.
This report from Angela Saurine from the News Limited Network.
Visitors from China are heading to destinations including the Gold Coast and Tropical North Queensland in growing numbers, according to a report.
They are also spending more time in regional areas than the international visitor average.
The news is at odds with billionaire casino tycoon James Packer’s view that Chinese tourists are predominantly interested in visiting cities.
The Deloitte Tourism and Hotel Market Outlook predicted that in little more than 20 years the number of Chinese tourists to Australia could parallel our entire international tourism market today.
More than two thirds of growth in the next three years will come from Asia, mostly from China.
But US tourists are also returning as that country’s economy improves.
“We’ve known for some time that China is where the growth is and where the biggest opportunity is but until recently it’s been quite focused on the gateway cities,” Deloitte Access Economics director Lachlan Smirl said.
“The share of their time spent in Sydney and Melbourne has fallen from 73 per cent to 63 per cent since 2008.
“Some of the other regions are starting to share the benefits of this rapidly growing market.”
Mr Smirl said Queensland had benefited from Chinese airlines flying to Cairns and improving transport to other regional areas could help spread tourists further.
International visitor arrivals grew nearly five per cent over the year to March and visitor nights grew more than seven per cent, significantly outpacing average growth of the last decade.
While the falling Australian dollar may make the destination more appealing for international tourists, Mr Smirl said the growth in income and the rising Chinese middle-class in particular was a bigger factor.
He said the high dollar didn’t seem to deter tourists from visiting Australia. They just spent less while here.