Chinese tourist arrivals to Australia grew almost 20% to more than 1.1 million in 2016, according to figures released by the country’s federal government.
The International Visitors Survey (IVS) showed foreign tourists spent a record 39.1 billion Australian dollars (USD 29.6 billion) throughout the year ending December 2016, a 7% rise on the previous year, with Chinese visitors accounting for almost a quarter of that figure.
Overall, the top five spenders in Australia were China, Britain, the United States, neighbor New Zealand, and Japan, contributing more than half (or USD 15.8 billion) of the total visitor spend.
Trade Minister Steven Ciobo said that tourism was beginning to become one of Australian economy’s most important assets, considering the rise of the middle class in Asian nations such as China.
“Spending by international visitors to Australia has now grown by more than 35% in the last three years – supporting Australian jobs and the broader Australian economy,” Ciobo said.
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Source: China Travel News