Can Chinese tourists help save Australian retailers?

Carrie LaFrenz and Simon Evans

Feb 3, 2023 – 5.03pm

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Retailers in central Sydney and Melbourne hope the return of Chinese students and tourists, who used to spend $12 billion in Australia each year before the pandemic, will help offset a looming broader downturn in consumer spending.

While foot traffic in Melbourne is slightly below pre-pandemic levels, people are spending slightly more than they did before COVID-19, Melbourne city data shows. Consumers splashed $32 million on average each weekday in December, up from $30 million, when adjusted for inflation, during the same period in 2019.

Carrie LaFrenz is a senior journalist covering retail/consumer goods. She previously covered healthcare/biotech. Carrie has won multiple awards for her journalism including financial journalist of the year from The National Press Club.

Simon Evans writes on business specialising in retail, manufacturing, beverages, mining and M&A. He is based in Adelaide.