Chinese tourism to Australia still in the doldrums

Tourism industry disappointed but hopeful Chinese travelers could return by year’s end - but economists predict a longer wait

Chinese tourist numbers are still down by about half when compared with pre-pandemic levels. Tourism Australia figures show 102,000 Chinese holiday makers visited Australia in September 2023. Four years earlier, the number was 688,000 in the same month.

Key takeaways

• The economy in China isn’t great and a lot of people are choosing to go to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia because they’re visa-free;
• In 2019, Chinese visitors spent $12.4m in Australia. The agency hopes tourism will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, despite Oxford Economics suggesting that may not happen until 2025-26.
• Like many sections of the Australian economy, political tensions between Beijing and Canberra have had some impact on tourism. But analysts differ on the how significant the influence has been.

Get the full story at The Guardian