Chinese visitors drive tourism gains

They love donning period dress in Ballarat and cruising down the Great Ocean Road. Meet the new generation of Chinese tourists — and they’re spending more than our interstate cousins.

Chinese visitors now spend more money in Victoria than Queenslanders, South Australians and West Australians combined.

New figures released today show 679,900 Chinese tourists came to the state last year, continuing a 13 per cent ­annual rise since 2014.

They were just some of the 90.6 million international and domestic visitors who visited in the year to March, spending a record $30 billion, according to the National Visitor Survey.

The Murray region generated the most of any region, hauling in $1.5 billion, an ­increase of 14.7 per cent.

Sovereign Hill was again the star of the Goldfields ­Region ($1.2 billion), with the outdoor museum in Ballarat a hit among Chinese visitors.

The Great Ocean Road was just behind ($1.3 billion) and then the High Country ($1.2 billion).

Sovereign Hill was again the star of the Goldfields ­Region ($1.2 billion), with the outdoor museum in Ballarat a hit among Chinese visitors.

The museum’s marketing director Jennifer Ganske says the venue’s appeal is simple.

“It’s gold,’’ she said. “The appeal of gold never fades.

“Gold changed everything and every culture understands that.”

She said tourists from China made up about 85 per cent of Sovereign Hill’s international visitors.

“But what’s changed is that there are more free and independent travellers, rather than a bus group.

“They are a more sophisticated traveller, consuming the culture in English.’’

Chinese tourists, Cheng Qianying and Zhang Lichun have their photo taken in period dress at Sovereign Hill.

Other overseas visitors were from New Zealand (345,900), the US (247,700), the UK (221,700) and India (170,800).

A growth in the number of Victorians visiting their own backyard has been helped by the Your Happy Place and Wander Victoria advertising campaigns.

Tourism spending in Melbourne jumped 10.3 per cent to reach $19 billion.

Some 90.6 million international and domestic visitors visited in the year to March, spending a record $30 billion, including visiting the Great Ocean Road.

The figures show tourism supports more than 214,000 jobs statewide, including 85,000 in regional areas.

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Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Martin ­Pakula said the survey results showed “there was something for everyone in Victoria”.

“These figures show we are on the right track and getting on with attracting even more visitors from Australia and around the world,” Mr Pakula said.

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