Aussie tourism needs to shift focus amid waning Chinese interest, experts warn

4 young Chinese on bridge Melbourne

Experts from Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Griffith University said that Australia should push to attract tourists from its traditional markets amid waning Chinese interest.

CDU senior lecturer in economics Dr Maneka Jayasinghe said new research revealed that word-of-mouth advertising and repeat visits were the key drivers for Aussie tourism, so efforts should be made to engage traditional tourism markets.

The study by CDU and Griffith University academics, published in Tourism Economics, recommended this re-engagement as Chinese tourism numbers were anticipated to drop. Over the last decade, the number of Chinese tourists in Australia increased by about 15 per cent annually, rising from 353,000 a decade ago to 1.44 million in 2019.

In 2018, about 15.5 per cent of tourists in Australia came from China, knocking New Zealand (15 per cent) off the top spot.

“The growth rate drastically reduced even before the COVID-19 pandemic, to be almost stagnant,” Jayasinghe said.

“It’s set to worsen due to the political and economic tension between Australia and China.”

Jayasinghe, from the Asia Pacific College of Business and Law, said tourism is a highly political phenomenon.

The study looked at the top 20 source countries for the past two decades and found that for every one per cent increase in visitors for any one country there was an additional 0.3 per cent growth the following year.

“This indicates that tourists have a good experience and make repeated visits to Australia or spread their positive perception about Australia to other potential visitors,” Jayasinghe said.

A fellow lead author on the study, Griffith University’s professor Saroja Selvanathan, said the study indicates the Chinese migrant population in Australia should be enough to bring over Chinese tourists, despite the slowdown in growth of tourists from Chinese markets.

“This study finds that despite the deteriorating political relations between China and Australia, the stock of Chinese migrants in Australia would continue to help to increase the Chinese tourist arrivals to Australia,” Selvanathan said.

“One of the recommendations of the study to increase the shortfall in Chinese tourist arrivals to Australia is for the Australian Tourism Industry to target the growing middle-income classes in other growth markets such as India and Indonesia.”

The study also suggested that the Aussie tourism industry re-engage with traditionally strong markets to capitalise on any goodwill.


Featured Image: Four young Chinese tourists on a Melbourne bridge – iStock/allensima

Latest News

  • Cruise

Viking takes delivery of its newest ship, the Viking Vela

Viking has announced it has taken delivery of its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela, when it was presented at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vela has 499 staterooms that hosts 998 guests. The ship joins the company’s growing fleet of award-winning ocean vessels and […]

  • Cruise

Celebrity Cruises sets sail from Canaveral for the first time

Celebrity Cruises has brought its premium holiday experiences to Port Canaveral, Florida, offering even more ways to escape to the Caribbean. Guests can now enjoy Caribbean escapes on Celebrity Equinox with seven-night sailings to tropical destinations including The Bahamas, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Belize, and more. With the addition of Port Canaveral, Celebrity Cruises now offers […]

  • Tourism

ATIA secures skilled migration win with inclusion of consultants, agency managers and tour guides

The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has secured a significant win, with the inclusion of travel consultants, travel agency managers and tour guides as eligible occupations for skilled migration on the Federal Government’s Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL). These inclusions mark a significant milestone for Australia’s travel industry. Until now, travel consultants and tour guides […]

  • Events
  • Hotels

An event producer’s take on Alma Resort – the ultimate MICE destination

The state-of-the-art Alma Resort has been rapidly gaining recognition for its world-class facilities and is now turning its focus to attract the Australian market, a key player in the global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector. Rebecca Perrier reports. Nestled along Vietnam’s picturesque southern coastline, the vibrant Alma Resort in Cam Ranh stands as […]

  • Travel Agents

TravelManagers’ Danielle Goncalves on falling in love with Bali in 5 days

TravelManagers’ Danielle Goncalves can confirm that five days is more than enough time to fall in love with Bali. Goncalves was one of seven personal travel managers (PTMs) to visit the iconic destination with Hoot Holidays on their annual ‘Hoot Legends’ famil. As a longtime supporter of Hoot Holidays (a sister company to TravelManagers Australia), […]

  • News
  • Sustainability

The DARWIN200 conservation mission sails into Hobart

The DARWIN200 conservation mission aboard the Dutch tall ship Oosterschelde sailed into Hobart ahead of a programme of conservation projects. The Oosterschelde set sail from Plymouth Harbour, UK, in August 2023 on an epic two-year planetary conservation mission retracing Charles Darwin’s voyage of the Beagle and training 200 young environmentalists along the way. The aim was to inspire […]