(Photo/CGTN)

Australian tourism officials say a new wave of Chinese visitors is boosting tourism revenues, amid a rise in younger, more independent travelers who are seeking new experiences and spending more.

31-year old Shanghai native Fiona Zhou is trying to learn to surf in Australia. She says she wants to experience more of the local life and in this country, “surfing is a part of life for Australians,” so this makes her want to challenge herself.

This kind of view among Chinese tourists is becoming increasingly popular, and the length and cost of their stays down under have both increased.

The total spent by Chinese visitors to Australia in 2016 was about nine billion Australian dollars (6.7 billion US dollars), a vast amount that has prompted a shift in the way some companies do business.

As CGTN’s Greg Navarro reports, an increasing number of the roughly 1.2 million Chinese tourists who visited Australia in 2016 are more willing to venture outside of the famous coastal cities, with rural areas struggling to meet the demands of an influx of visitors.

The launch of the China Australia Year of Tourism earlier this year has helped to promote trips down under, with changing travel habits bringing more and more benefits to Australia’s tourism industry.