Spending by international visitors in Australia has surpassed AUD 40 billion (USD 31 billion) for the first time with a quarter coming from Chinese tourists, a tourism survey said on Wednesday.
The International Visitor Survey, released by Tourism Research Australia on Wednesday, revealed that international spending rose 6 percent, or AUD 2.2 billion (USD 1.7 billion), to AUD 41.3 billion (USD 32.44 billion) in the 2017 calendar year.
The number of international visitors to Australia also rose 6 percent to 8.1 million.
"Chinese tourists remain Australia's biggest spenders, pumping a record AUD 10.4 billion (USD 8.17 billion) - a 14 percent increase from last year - into the economy," Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Steven Ciobo said in a media release on Wednesday.
The growth coincided with the 2017 China Australia Year of Tourism - a government initiative to promote Australia as a destination in China through "targeted marketing, aviation liberalization and visa reform."
Approximately 1.33 million Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2017, second only to New Zealand.
Read Original Article
