Tourism Australia has continued its recent flurry of deals with the signing of a three-year agreement with China’s tourism agency, China Travel Service, to promote Australia to the country’s affluent middle classes.
Much of the promotional work will be carried out in China’s secondary cities, a growing focus for Tourism Australia.
The two parties will collaborate on a range of co-operative marketing activities with themed stores among the plans being explored.
TA will also provide training for CTS’s best agents and work with them to “identify investment opportunities in Australia’s tourism industry”.
Around 100,000 Chinese arrivals to Australia in 2012 booked through CTS which has 100 subsidiaries and 500 outlets around the world and 100 Aussie Specialist Agents.
TA managing director Andrew McEvoy described distribution as a critical element in attracting more Chinese visitors, particularly beyond the major centres.
“Their [CTS] powerful distribution network and customer resources will be invaluable as we seek to expand our marketing footprint beyond Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and target China’s growing middle classes in more of the country’s secondary cities,” he said.
CTS’s “deep understanding” of the market and its extensive distribution will allow TA to target consumers who, through research, have already expressed a desire to visit Australia, McEvoy said.
He added that a key focus would be the promotion of high end tourism.
CTS chairman Xuewu Zhang said: “China is now Australia’s second largest, fastest growing and most valuable international inbound market with a record 620,000 Chinese visitors spending a record $4.2 billion in 2012.
“We believe there is huge potential especially for further growth in leisure tourism.”
