More Chinese are visiting Australia, following a slew of tourism promotion activities. Yang Feiyue reports.

More flights, relaxed visa policies and promotional events are bringing up the number of Chinese visitors heading Down Under.

About 1.3 million Chinese visited Australia over the 12 months leading up to Sept 30. Their spending increased by 13 percent to AUD $10.3 billion ($7.9 billion) during the period.

"China is our increasingly important market, and we expect it would become our most important market globally by 2020," Tourism Australia's president Bob East says.

Australia's accessible world-class natural beauty, coupled with its sophisticated cities and exceptional food and wine, remain key attractions for Chinese travelers. Photos Provide to China Daily

China and Australia launched the Year of Tourism in Sydney on Feb 5, 2017, paving the way for over 100 activities to boost mutual tourism.

Chinese visitors have been able to get 10-year, multi-entry visas since the end of 2016. And the entire application process can be done online in Chinese.

"Australia has been marketing its tourism experiences to Chinese travelers for close to two decades, after becoming one of the first countries to be granted Approved Destination Status back in 1999. But this year has been exceptional, with an unprecedented program of activities to celebrate the strength of our tourism partnership with China," Tourism Australia's managing director John O'Sullivan said at a ceremony in Guangdong province's Guangzhou in mid-December to mark the end of the Year of Tourism.

"During the year, we have hosted a range of initiatives - from trade missions and events to the first-ever AFL premiership match in China - while also announcing actor Wu Xiubo as a Friend of Australia to help share the tourism experiences of our country with his huge following of fans, and supporting broadcasts of visits to Australia by popular shows, such as We are in Love."

Australia's accessible world-class natural beauty, coupled with its sophisticated cities and exceptional food and wine, remain key attractions for Chinese travelers.

These experiences are increasingly being packaged into more personalized independent holiday itineraries rather than organized group travel.

Sydney and Melbourne remain popular among Chinese travelers. But they're also warming up to a few other scenic spots, including Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef and the Northern Territory.

Cairns is renowned for its relaxed, tropical climate and laid-back ambience. It boasts some of the best of Australia's tropics, with islands, rainforests and reefs.

Visitors can swim, snorkel, dive and sail at the Great Barrier Reef - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - and hike the forest.

They can also hop aboard the scenic railway to the tranquil, butterfly-filled village of Kuranda and cruise among colorful parrots, platypuses and freshwater crocodiles.

The Northern Territory abounds with aboriginal history and rugged, natural beauty. And it's home to an array of wildlife, colorful outback characters and awe-inspiring landscapes. Travelers can enjoy rainforests, aboriginal rock art and outback gorges, plus the iconic wonders of Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon.

The number of individual Chinese travelers visiting Australia has also increased significantly.

Many drive to such destinations as the Yarra Valley and the Great Ocean Road, says East.

"Many national forests and some wine-brewing areas are also attracting ever-increasing Chinese tourists," he adds.

Australia also appeals to wealthy Chinese with the fine dining, fresh seafood and quality wine.

"You can sit in fancy indoor restaurants, enjoying the gourmet food, or find an outdoor chateau and chat with the owner over distinctive local cuisine," East says.

In a related development, the country has worked with Australian chefs in China and Chinese new media to promote its food. Australian eateries are also competing for the World's 50 Best Restaurants designation.

Explaining what prompted Australia's food promotion strategy, East says, "We found many Chinese tourists would discover certain restaurants on their own and then recommend them to people around them by word of mouth, which would make the restaurants quite popular."

A number of eateries are preparing special meals for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival, as many Chinese will fly to Australia during the weeklong holiday.

Australian has worked with various airlines to open direct flights connecting China to Australian cities.

A total of 11 new flights were launched in 2017, and another two should be operational by the end of January 2018, East says.

"The number of seats has increased by 40 percent as compared with last year," he adds.

The flight from Guangzhou to Cairns that opened on Dec 3 cut travel time to seven and a half hours. Direct flights connecting Beijing and Brisbane began in December.

Many second-tier Chinese cities, such as Shandong province's Qingdao, Hubei province's Wuhan and Henan province's Zhengzhou, have launched direct flights to Australia.

Meanwhile, Australia has introduced special training for travel-industry workers to better cater to Chinese needs. And it has produced multilingual brochures, maps and signage.

Cairns' Skyrail Rainforest Cableway in Queensland, for instance, has been providing cultural-awareness training for its staff, with annual refreshers. It has also printed Chinese-language signs and brochures.

The official tourism year's conclusion isn't an end but a new beginning, says East.

"The yearlong efforts have strengthened our relations with the travel industry in China and helped us to optimize travel products in Australia," he says.

"And we have confidence that we can maintain the momentum in the future."

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/15/2018 page22)