Trump’s spotlight on China only makes Aussies want to go there more

Australia’s new love affair with China has been propelled by stronger tourism ties between the two countries  – making travel more convenient and budget-friendly.

Yes, the spotlight is on China, but not because of Trump’s plans to shake up the Asian East or that we’re not looking very “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” this National Day about buying Australian-made. In fact, according to new data from Cheap Flights, droves of Australia’s are jet-setting East, with online searches for “travel to China” more than doubling last years records.

It is no surprise that with new routes and the arrival of more Chinese airlines to Australian terminals, that more Aussies are most likely to spend half of their annual leave exploring this unique region.

“National searches to this sprawling metropolis have surged by 269 per cent year-on-year, with departures from South Australia increasing by 17 per cent,” said Nathan Graham, Regional Sales Manager at Cheapflights ANZ.

Since the announcement of a new service between Adelaide and Guangzhou, the city is now in the running against Shanghai as Australia’s favourite Chinese destination.

The growing access between the countries has also sparked greater competition, driving airfares down. For example,  exploring the capital, Beijing, will cost the Aussie traveller 37 per cent less than in 2015. Sydney has been named the most affordable airport to depart from with return airfares from just $643, followed by Brisbane ($700) and Melbourne ($795).

“Getting to China will be more convenient and budget-friendly for Aussies in 2017. The new tourism partnerships also mean that the same is true in reverse – and we expect to see a steady increase in reciprocal travel numbers throughout the year.”

“China is already Australia’s most-valuable inbound tourism market, set to be worth $13 billion by 2020. And with the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, designating 2017 as the Australia-China Year of Tourism, the number of travellers and in turn, the economic benefit to the country, is set to skyrocket,” continued Graham.