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

  • Conferences

IPW 2024: 960,000 Aussies took the trek to the Land of the Free last year

Travel Weekly is on the ground at the IPW launch in Los Angeles, and goes in search of those states that want us to grace their shores. Chris Thompson, the president and CEO of Brand USA opened the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2024, with a bullish estimation of the year ahead and to a packed […]

  • Aviation

Nauru Airlines offers new direct flights from Brisbane to Palau on ‘Paradise Express’

Nauru Airlines is offering new direct six-hour flights from Brisbane to Palau on the ‘Palau Paradise Express’ to the 300-island archipelago, with launch fares from $999 return. Nauru Airlines will commence direct flights between Brisbane and Palau from 21 May 2024, opening the new non-stop air route to this archipelago nation of more than 300 […]

  • Cruise
  • News

Search underway for missing cruiser of Sydney Heads

Carnival Cruise Lines have confirmed a search is underway for a passenger who went overboard P&O Cruises Pacific Adventure about 20 kilometres off Sydney Heads this morning. Pacific Adventure was due to dock at Sydney Harbour at 6am this morning but is now searching the waters after a man went overboard around 4:15am. One passenger told 2GB […]

  • Partner Content

Wendy Wu Tours ‘Wonderlust Sale’ offers the wonders of the world for less

Wendy Wu Tours opens the month of May with some very special deals across its most sought-after destinations. From Japan, China and South Korea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia and across India and Latin America, the ‘Wonderlust Sale’ sees all destinations on sale.  The ‘Wonderlust Sale’ is an offer too good to resist with incredible […]

Partner Content

by Travel Weekly

Travel Weekly
  • Technology

Booking.com launches AI Trip Planner in Australia and New Zealand

Booking.com has announced its AI Trip Planner (Beta) is now available for travellers in Australia and New Zealand, the first markets to launch in Asia Pacific. Until now, AI Trip Planner was only available for US and UK travellers after it was launched in the Booking.com app in June last year. Built using Booking.com’s existing […]

  • Products

Embrace the journey: Traversing the world with the Shokz OpenRun

If you’ve been on the wrong side of a final call in the airport, or missed the stop on rail journey, it might be time to invest in a pair of Shokz OpenRun headphones. Originally marketed as headphones for fitness fanatics, runners or cyclists with a keen to steer clear of a prang with a car, […]

  • Tour Operators
  • Tourism

TTC: Deals are driving up demand for September trips

The latest market research from TTC Tour Brands shows interest in international leisure travel remains high for 2024, with 77 per cent of Australians over 18 still planning trips this year. Notably, 28 per cent of those travellers are eyeing September for their journeys. Europe continues to be the most popular destination, with 68 per […]