Interview: Chinese market important to Australia's tourism industry, says tourism chief

SYDNEY, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese market is very important to Australia's tourism industry and its recovery is very strong, the new chief of the Australian government's tourism promotion agency has said.

"The Chinese market is so important to Australia, and we really welcome all the Chinese visitors who come across to see us," Robin Mack, who was appointed as Tourism Australia's new managing director in January, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Citing the latest official data, Mack said that in the 12 months ending in November last year, about 1 million Chinese visitors traveled to Australia, up 16 percent year-on-year, making China the fastest-growing market at present.

In terms of spending, Chinese visitors spent 12.3 billion Australian dollars (about 8.71 billion U.S. dollars) in Australia, a 29 percent year-on-year increase, which has essentially returned to pre-pandemic levels, he said.

"So the recovery is very strong for us," Mack said. "It's actually returned to our number two inbound market in terms of visitation and number one in terms of overall spend."

According to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Chinese mainland remained Australia's largest source for short-term visitor arrivals in 2019.

Mack said that with the restoration of air travel capacity, a richer range of tourism products and deeper partnerships, the Chinese market is expected to reclaim the top position in the future. "We are very optimistic about the Chinese market," he said.

Mack noted that Australia's summer, from December to February, is the peak season for Chinese visitors, with the Chinese New Year holiday being particularly important. In addition, visitor numbers also rise significantly during China's school holidays in July and August and the "Golden Week" holiday in October.

Chinese travelers are increasingly opting for smaller groups and independent travel, with a growing preference for customized itineraries and immersive destination experiences, Mack said, adding that natural scenery, wildlife experiences, and food and wine are among the key attractions for Chinese visitors.

In August last year, Tourism Australia launched the second chapter of its global "Come and Say G'day" tourism campaign targeting key international markets.

"We chose China as the first market around the world where we launched that second chapter back in August," Mack said. "It's really helping us build momentum up to experience an even bigger boost in travel for the Chinese New Year."

Mack has held important roles within Tourism Australia for over a decade, including overseeing its market strategy and operations across 16 global markets, including China.

In his first interview with Chinese media as the new managing director, Mack pointed out that tourism serves as an important bridge for fostering people-to-people connections.

Interactions between Chinese visitors and local Australians during their stays help deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries, Mack said, adding that in recent years, a lot more Australians have also traveled to China, fostering even more people-to-people connections.

"I love visiting China, and I've been there many, many times over the years," Mack said. "I used to go regularly, and I love returning at every opportunity I can."

Looking ahead to the upcoming Chinese New Year in mid-February, he welcomed more Chinese visitors to come to Australia for their holidays.

"We're very excited about the Chinese New Year holiday coming up because we always welcome even more Chinese visitors across Australia over that period," Mack said.