Chinese tourists flock to Australia's east coast

Chinese tourists last year became the largest group of visitors to Australia's New South Wales, replacing those from New Zealand, according to the tourism authority of the state on the country's east coast.

According to the authority, the number of Chinese visiting New South Wales saw a year-on-year increase of 18 percent in 2013.

The country logged more than 697,000 visits by Chinese tourists last year, up 14 percent over the same period in the previous year.

Jennifer Tung, regional director of the North Asian region of the tourism authority of New South Wales, said the state is coming up with more packages of single destination and in-depth for Chinese travelers in cooperation with mainland agencies, including Beijing's Caissa Travel Agency.

Tung said some of the tour packages revolve around local cuisine, farm village experiences and wine tastings.

"In addition to such popular destinations as Sydney, Newcastle, Byron Bay, Bondi and Wollongong, people can live with locals on the farms and experience the peaceful and tranquil lifestyle of New South Wales through dining with local farmers," she said.

Caissa said the agency expects tourist numbers to New South Wales to increase by 50 percent this year.