The release of summer travel demand made Chinese tourists the largest source of international visitors at Sydney Airport in July, with the number of tourists returning to 76% of the same period in 2019. This is a set of data revealed by He Anzhe, Executive General Manager of Eastern Hemisphere Market and International Airline Business of Tourism Australia, in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Beijing Business Daily. He Anzhe said that as a newly selected destination country for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to resume the third batch of outbound group tours, Australia has attracted the attention of Chinese tourists, and the "National Day" holiday has also become a popular choice for long-term travel. To this end, Australian travel suppliers continue to strengthen Chinese training, actively develop special itineraries and customized itineraries for the Chinese market to welcome Chinese tourists. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2026.
Search popularity jumped 50%
After the Ministry of Culture and Tourism piloted the resumption of the third batch of outbound group travel destinations, data from Ctrip's platform showed that the popularity of product searches in Australia increased by about 50% in the past week. At present, major travel agencies have launched Australian tourism products. In this regard, Ho Anzhe said excitedly that the resumption of group travel by Chinese tourists to Australia is undoubtedly an exciting positive signal for the Australian tourism industry, and the return of group travel will open a new chapter in the travel trend of Chinese tourists to Australia.
"While it will be some time before the number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia returns to 2019 levels, and there is room for air capacity to resume growth, there are many encouraging numbers so far." Referring to the situation of Chinese tourists visiting Australia in the first half of the year, Ho described it this way.
According to Australian government data, Australia received more than 180,000 Chinese tourists in the first half of this year. A total of 37,000 Chinese tourists arrived in June, and the number of tourists has recovered to nearly 50% (46.27%) of the same period before the epidemic.
Previously, Australia was not on the list of pilot resumption of outbound group travel, but even if group tours, which account for a large proportion of outbound tourism, have not resumed, it is difficult for Australia to hide the popularity of outbound long-term travel. According to the "Outbound Tourism Big Data Report for the First Half of 2023" released by the China Tourism Research Institute, Australia ranks second among long-term destinations for Chinese tourists' outbound tours.
In July, Chinese tourists were among the largest sources of visitors at Sydney Airport
In the first half of the year, flights, visas and other reasons greatly restricted the resumption of outbound travel, Australia's air accessibility and visa convenience helped it to rank among the top countries for long-term outbound travel in the first half of the year.
He Anzhe said that at the end of June this year, air traffic between China and Australia has recovered to 54%. According to the information disclosed by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) semi-annual work meeting, as of the end of June, international passenger flights reached 3,368 per week, recovering to 44% of the pre-epidemic level. In the first half of the year, China-Australia air capacity has exceeded the overall recovery of international flights.
The resumption of direct flights has greatly facilitated the travel of Chinese tourists. Air China, China Eastern, China Southern Airlines and Sichuan Airlines accelerated the resumption of flights between China and Australia, originating from major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xiamen and Qingdao. As Australia's main air traffic hub, the latest data from Sydney Airport shows that Chinese tourists became the largest source of international visitors at Sydney Airport in July, with the number of tourists reaching 76% of the same period in 2019. Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were the airport's most popular tourists, and for the first time since 2019, Chinese tourists returned to the top spot.
In addition, Ho also stressed that applying for an Australian visa does not need to make an appointment for an interview, fill in the information online, and do not need to mail or deliver any paper materials (including the original passport), generally 5-10 working days to receive the result, which is very convenient. At the time of entry, there is also a corresponding fully automated process.
China plays a pivotal role in Australia's tourism industry. He said that before 2020, China was the largest source country for the number of inbound tourists and total consumption of Australia. Australia welcomed 1.44 million Chinese visitors in 2019, accounting for 15% of all international arrivals to Australia.
In the second half of the year, flights between China and Australia will continue to be encrypted
After receiving a relatively bright report card in the first half of the year, He Anghe also said that he has great expectations for the recovery since the second half of the year.
After becoming the third batch of outbound group tour destinations piloted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Tourism Australia has also taken action. He Anzhe introduced that it is currently cooperating with various airlines. "Major cities in China continue to increase flights to and from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Specifically, China Southern Airlines will add flights between Guangzhou and Sydney and Melbourne from November to three and two flights a day, respectively, and will resume flights between Guangzhou and Brisbane. Air China's direct flights from Beijing to Sydney and Melbourne have also provided great convenience, while China Eastern has been resuming flights quickly. As demand increases, air capacity will continue to grow in the future. ”
He also said that the next step will be to strengthen the Chinese training of Australian tourism workers, while travel suppliers are also actively developing special itineraries and customized itineraries for the Chinese market. Tourism Australia will continue to recommend more niche and in-depth travel experiences to the Chinese market, including adventure tourism and eco-tourism.
In order to allow more Chinese tourists to pay attention to and learn more about Australia, Tourism Australia has launched a themed campaign at the end of June, bringing its latest brand tourism ambassador Kangaroo Ruby to invite Chinese tourists to "Come and Say G'day" in Australia.
Ho revealed that in the coming months, Ruby's story will continue to be shared through major social media channels, and Chinese media and KOLs will be invited to follow Ruby's footsteps to explore Australia. "We also launched Kangaroo Ruby's exclusive WeChat emoji to invite Chinese consumers to download and interact with our events."
Based on Australia's natural beauty and wildlife, food and wine, and tourism safety and security, the attractiveness of Chinese tourists to Chinese tourists, Tourism Australia predicts that Chinese visitors to Australia will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2026. "We believe that the number of Chinese tourists will continue to rise this year, and more Chinese tourists will 'come to Australia and say hello'." He Anzhe said.
Beijing Business Daily reporter Guan Zichen Niu Qingyan