PM’s China tourism push ‘great to see’, sector says

Anthony Albanese is in China spruiking Australia as the number one place to see for big spending holiday-makers.

Australia’s tourism sector says it is “great to see” Anthony Albanese spruiking the country’s postcard-perfect tourism offerings to would-be Chinese holiday-makers in Shanghai

The Prime Minister on Sunday witnessed Tourism Australia sign a deal with Chinese travel giant Trip.com to promote Australia as the place to see.

The deal came with the launch of a new tourism ad campaign featuring Ruby the Roo -- a Mandarin-speaking kangaroo.

The campaign also features Yu Shi, a young A-list actor leading an explosive career since his 2023 breakout role in a major Chinese epic fantasy franchise.

“Our message here in Shanghai and throughout China is come and say g’day to us Down Under,” Mr Albanese told reporters from Trip.com headquarters in Shanghai.

Mr Albanese has touched down in China, where he is hoping to appeal to Chinese holiday-makers to visit Australia with a revamped tourism campaign. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

A ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between Trip.com and Tourism Australia will come with a revamp of the iconic ‘Come and Say G’day’ campaign. Picture: Supplied

“Australia is already a destination of choice for Chinese tourists, growing more popular every year and we saw downstairs the practical demonstration that Australia is the number one long haul destination for tourists from China.

“And as we see, the increase in the middle class in China grow as well. Increasingly, this is a market that will be of massive benefit for Australia.”

Mr Albanese landed in China’s biggest city on Saturday with the stated mission of convincing the Chinese that Australia has more to offer than the world’s “best” tariff-free beef and lobster as he navigates the spectre of an increasingly militaristic regional rivalry with China.

While he has not been able to escape defence and security concerns, he has pressed more positive areas, such as the billions of dollars Chinese vacationers pump into Australia’s thirsty tourism sector.

Tourism Australia's $125m campaign starring Ruby the Roo and Louie the Unicorn was launched in 2023 in a bid to boost the country’s starved tourism industry. Picture: Supplied

Back at home, the mission has gone down well.

“It’s great to see the Prime Minister strengthening the relationship with China and great to see he’s prioritising our travel and tourism sectors,” Accommodation Australia chief executive James Goodwin told NewsWire.

“There has rightly been lots of focus on trade of physical products but tourism is a major export supporting close to one million jobs in the Australian economy.

“Chinese travellers love what Australia has to offer so we welcome more promotion of not just capital cities but our amazing regional attractions and support making it easier for people to travel here.”

Chinese holiday-makers are Australia’s highest-paying visitors.

Making up some 860,000 visits, tourists from mainland China splashed a whopping $9.2bn in the 12 months to March, according to official figures.

Both the number of visits and the amount spent were up on March 2024 figures by 26 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.

Still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic and blindsided by devastating natural disasters in recent years, it is a welcome trend for Australia’s tourism industry.

Originally published as PM’s China tourism push ‘great to see’, sector says