Thanks to the Spring Festival holiday, China is projected to reclaim its position as the top source market for inbound tourism to Australia in February 2025, according to Bin Han, General Manager of China for Tourism Australia.
Before the pandemic, China led Australia’s inbound tourism market in both visitor numbers and total spending.
In February 2024, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia reached 149,000, representing more than 70% of the 2019 levels.
To enhance the travel experience for Chinese tourists, Tourism Australia recently signed a three-year memorandum of cooperation with UnionPay International. Bin Han noted that UnionPay’s coverage in Australia has now exceeded 98%, allowing Chinese visitors to enjoy "seamless travel across Australia with a single UnionPay card."
According to Flight Master, weekly outbound flights from China to Australia between December 2 and 8, 2024, totaled 139, recovering to 84.8% of 2019 levels.
Additionally, several Chinese airlines are ramping up services between the two countries.
China Southern Airlines will start routes from Guangzhou to Adelaide, Beijing Daxing to Melbourne, and Beijing Daxing to Sydney in December.
Similarly, Juneyao Airlines is set to launch a direct flight from Shanghai to Sydney on December 16.
