Australia offers new incentives to woo Chinese

Australia has been gaining popularity among Chinese visitors, who have surpassed New Zealanders to become the top spenders. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Land Down Under is set to significantly up the number of Chinese visitors since the China-Australia Year of Tourism began on Feb 5.

That's following recently introduced enticements for Chinese to visit Oz, such as increased flights, 10-year visas and a Chinese-language online visa-application system.

"The China-Australia Year of Tourism will go a long way in promoting bilateral exchanges in tourism and other fields," China National Tourism Administration chair Li Jinzao says.

China is Australia's most valuable inbound-tourism market.

Australia's tourism authority estimates its value may exceed AU$13 billion ($9.96 billion) by 2020.

Australia has been gaining popularity among Chinese visitors－just over a year ago, they surpassed New Zealand to become the top spenders Down Under, to the tune of $21 million a day.

Last year, 1.2 million Chinese visited the Land Down Under. They spent over $9 billion, up 18 percent compared with the previous year.

"We anticipate this will grow during the China-Australia Year of Tourism and will continue to grow afterward," says Australia's minister for trade, tourism and investment, Steven Ciobo.

Australia has also launched initiatives to expand two-way tourism arrivals.

It began offering 10-year multi-entry visas to Chinese on a trial basis, allowing for up to three-months per stay.

Chinese visitors no longer need to visit visa centers, thanks to the new Chinese application website.

A recent agreement removes all capacity restrictions for both sides' airlines.