Chinese tourists add $7.7bn to Australia’s coffers

Tourist dollars soared in the year to September compared to the previous year with tourists from China contributing $7.7bn to Australia’s economy .

Chinese visitors adding billions to Australian economy. Image by grace_kat / CC BY-SA 2.0

This was three times the increase in overall visitor spending this year. Recent falls in the value of the Aussie dollar have made Australia a more affordable option for overseas travellers. Total inbound visitor spending grew by 13 per cent to a record $34.8bn this year, according to Tourism Australia. Their most recent campaign ‘Restaurant Australia’ has spotlighted food and wine tourism with visitors spending $700m over the last year, which was above the tourism organisation’s target. Their focus now is to encourage more visitors to leave the capital cities and spend their dollars across the country. Read more: guardian.com