The State Government is cranking up its tourism marketing push in China with the establishment of a full-time tourism office in Shanghai.
The State Government is cranking up its tourism marketing push in China with the establishment of a full-time tourism office in Shanghai.
The size of China’s population and its growing prosperity means it will be the fastest growing source of international tourists over the coming decade.
Tourism Minister Mark McGowan said the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Australia was expected to rise by 16 per cent a year over the next 10 years.
The growth from China puts it far ahead of other markets.
Recent statistics show that the number of international visitors to WA increased by 7.4 per cent in the year to June.
The most rapid growth was from New Zealand (up 50 per cent) and Singapore (up 20 per cent), where the government has been running marketing campaigns.
The US (16 per cent) and Japan (up 7 per cent) also achieved solid growth.
“This time next year, we anticipate an even stronger result from our traditional tourism markets – the UK, Japan and New Zealand – as well as our new and emerging markets in China and South Korea,” Mr McGowan said.
He conceded WA had not done as well as other states in attracting Chinese tourists.
He attributed this to the popularity of iconic attractions like the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru.
Mr McGowan said while many travellers to Australia would be attracted by these icons, on subsequent visits they could be tempted to travel to alternative destinations such as WA.
Mr McGowan said WA had a three-pronged strategy for boosting the state as a tourism destination, particularly for Chinese travellers.
First was an increase in overall marketing spending to $91 million over the next five years.
Second, the Government plans to lead a WA tourism industry delegation to China later this month.
Third is the opening of a tourism office in China.
Travel industry executive Allen Cheng, who has 15 years’ experience in China, will run the new office, which is co-located with WA’s existing trade office.
Mr Cheng spent last week in WA meeting industry representatives and touring the state.
He will have a particular focus on ‘high end’ travellers with potential to deliver a high yield to the local industry.
One of the issues facing the local industry is the limited number of Mandarin-speaking tour guides.
The Government and Central TAFE ran a trial training program in 2003 but now there is a wait for more Chinese visitors before extra training occurs.
