Australia and New Zealand actively seek Chinese tourist

In 2026 Chinese tourists are returning to Australia and New Zealand in numbers that would have seemed impossible just three years ago. Are you ready to welcome them? After the long pause of the pandemic years, Chinese outbound travel has roared back. For ANZ destinations, that means real opportunity right now.

Chinese arrivals to Australia reached 1.05 million in 2025, up 38% year-on-year. New Zealand welcomed 280,000 Chinese visitors in the same period, recovering to roughly 85% of pre-pandemic levels. Spending per trip averages AUD 7,200 in Australia and NZD 5,900 in New Zealand, both well above the average international visitor. If you run a hotel, a tour operator, a wildlife experience, or a restaurant, this market deserves your attention.

What Chinese Visitors Want From Australia and New Zealand

The motivations driving Chinese tourists to ANZ have shifted since 2019. Back then, shopping and city breaks dominated. In 2025-2026, the picture is richer. Clean air, open space, and genuine natural beauty top the wish list. Research from Mafengwo in late 2024 found that 67% of Chinese users planning ANZ trips listed “nature and wildlife” as their primary draw, ahead of food (52%) and iconic city experiences (41%).

What does that mean practically? Chinese tourists want to see kangaroos and koalas, yes, but increasingly they want to participate, not just observe. Farm stays, wildlife sanctuaries with hands-on programs, and guided coastal walks all score well. The “clean and green” image of New Zealand is a genuine selling point. Chinese social media is full of content tagged #新西兰 (New Zealand) showing green hills, waterfalls, and local food markets.

Food matters a lot. Not just Chinese food, though having some familiar options helps. Chinese travelers in ANZ are curious about local cuisine, especially fresh seafood and farm-to-table experiences. A meal that looks great on camera and tastes new is content gold. Perth’s crayfish, New Zealand’s green-lipped mussels, and Melbourne’s cafe culture all translate well to Chinese social platforms.

For more background on the broader market, see our Chinese outbound tourism market strategy guide.

How Tourism Australia and Tourism NZ Are Marketing in China Right Now

Both national tourism bodies have sharpened their China digital strategies considerably. Tourism Australia runs active Douyin and Weibo accounts and has invested in Xiaohongshu content partnerships since 2023. Their Douyin posts featuring wildlife encounters and Great Barrier Reef footage regularly pull 500,000 to 2 million views. Tourism New Zealand relaunched its WeChat mini-program in 2024, giving Chinese travelers a one-stop travel planning tool in their own language.

Key platforms in use:

• Douyin for video reach and discovery (short-form, high-volume)
• Xiaohongshu for inspiration and peer reviews (highly trusted by younger travelers)
• WeChat for itinerary distribution and direct communication
• Mafengwo for travel notes, reviews, and word of mouth
• Ctrip for booking integration and package promotion

The gap between what national boards do and what individual businesses do is still huge. Most hotels, tour operators, and experiences in ANZ have no Chinese-language presence at all. That is where the opportunity lies for you.

Practical Steps for Individual Businesses

You do not need a national budget to attract Chinese visitors. Start here:

• Create a Mafengwo listing for your property or experience. It is free, it is used by millions of Chinese travelers, and most ANZ businesses are not on it yet.
• Add a WeChat QR code to your reception desk, your front door, or your printed materials. Chinese visitors will use it to message you directly.
• Train your front-line staff on one or two key Mandarin phrases. A simple “你好” (hello) and “谢谢” (thank you) goes a long way.
• Review your menu or information materials. If you can add a Chinese version, even a short one, you signal that Chinese guests are welcome.
• Produce 2-3 short videos of your property or experience and post them on Douyin. You do not need to be a content creator. Authentic footage of your location, animals, or food works well.
• Approach a local Chinese tour operator or incoming travel company. Getting added to a group itinerary, even once, builds visibility.

Key Trends 2026

• FIT (free independent travel) now makes up over 65% of Chinese visits to ANZ, up from 48% in 2019. Individual travelers spend more and stay longer.
• Younger Chinese travelers (25-35) are the fastest-growing segment, driven by content they discover on Douyin and Xiaohongshu.
• Visa ease matters: Australia’s 3-year multiple-entry visa for Chinese nationals, extended in 2024, is a real driver.
• Sustainability and authenticity are active search terms. “Eco-tourism New Zealand” and “farm experience Australia” are growing queries on Chinese platforms.
• Chinese tourists are booking more direct and further in advance than before. Average lead time is now 45 days, up from 28 days in 2023.
• Payments: Alipay and WeChat Pay acceptance is expected, not optional. Properties without either lose bookings silently.
• Chinese influencer content (KOL and micro-KOL) drives more bookings than paid advertising for both Australia and NZ.

What the Experts Say

“Australia and New Zealand have a natural advantage with Chinese travelers because the products they want already exist: wildlife, clean food, open spaces. The gap is in visibility and communication. Most Chinese travelers planning an ANZ trip will never find your experience unless you have a presence on Douyin, WeChat or Xiaohongshu. Once you do, and once you can communicate in Mandarin, even at a basic level, conversion rates are much higher than in most Western markets. I have seen small operators go from zero Chinese guests to 40% Chinese revenue within 18 months just by showing up on the right platforms.”

Jon Wang, CTA Head of Digital Strategy.

How One New Zealand Sheep Farm Won Over Chinese Tour Groups

When Sarah Mitchell took over her family’s sheep station in the Waikato region in 2022, Chinese tourism was not on her radar. The farm ran standard agricultural operations plus a small visitor experience aimed at domestic tourists and backpackers. Revenue from tourism was modest. Sarah knew she needed to grow, but she had no idea where to start with Chinese visitors.

The problem was simple and frustrating. The farm had exactly what Chinese tourists were searching for, real farm life, shearing demonstrations, lamb feeding, a paddock-to-table lunch using local kai (traditional Maori food and produce), and the kind of rolling green scenery that fills Chinese social media with dreamy hashtags. But no one in China knew the farm existed. There was no listing on any Chinese platform, no Mandarin signage, and no relationship with Chinese tour operators.

The turning point came when Sarah worked with a China digital marketing consultant to build a proper Mafengwo listing. They created a detailed travel note (游记) in Mandarin describing the full farm experience, with high-quality photos of shearing, the farm dogs working, the lamb lunch, and the views. The listing included practical information: transport from Hamilton, duration, what to wear, what to expect. They also posted three short Douyin videos, each under 60 seconds, showing the shearing demonstration, the feeding of lambs, and a warm shot of the lunch table set up outdoors.

Within three months, the Mafengwo listing had 1,800 saves. A tour operator based in Auckland, specializing in Chinese inbound groups, found the listing and reached out. They added the farm to a 5-day New Zealand itinerary they were selling through Ctrip and two other Chinese OTAs.

Sarah adapted the experience for Chinese groups. She added Mandarin labels to the farm animals, created a short printed guide in Chinese, and trained her farm hand to deliver a bilingual commentary during the shearing demo (Mandarin on one side, English on the other, printed on a laminated card). The lunch menu was adjusted to include congee as a starter alongside the traditional kai.

Results were faster than expected. By the end of the first year, the farm was receiving three Chinese tour groups per week during peak season (October to April). Each group averaged 18 people at NZD 85 per person. That added NZD 220,000 in annual revenue from Chinese visitors alone. The farm also started receiving individual FIT Chinese travelers who had found the Mafengwo listing independently and booked directly via a WeChat contact number Sarah added to her profile.

Sarah’s advice: “Start with Mafengwo. Write a real description, add real photos, and make it easy for people to find you. The Chinese travelers who came to us were the best guests we have had. They were engaged, appreciative, and they posted everything.”

How CTA Can Help

CTA works with tourism businesses of all sizes to attract Chinese visitors. Here is what we can do for your ANZ property or experience:

• Mafengwo and Ctrip listing creation and optimization in Mandarin
• Douyin and Xiaohongshu content strategy and account management
• WeChat official account setup and messaging support
• KOL and micro-KOL campaign management for tourism brands
• Translation and localization of your website and marketing materials
• Introduction to Chinese incoming tour operators and OTA partnerships

Learn more about our CTA China advertising services.

About CTA

Since 2012, CTA has helped 500+ brands enter and grow in the Chinese market. We work with hotels, resorts, national tourism boards, airlines, and tour operators across Europe, Oceania, Asia, and the Americas. Our team is based across Paris, Shanghai, and Singapore. We run campaigns on every major Chinese platform including Douyin, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Ctrip, and Mafengwo. Our clients range from boutique guesthouses to government tourism bodies. We know what works and what does not, because we have tested everything. If you are serious about Chinese visitors, we are the right partner.

About the author: Claire is a Digital Tourism Specialist at CTA. She has spent 6 years helping hotels, brands and destinations attract Chinese travelers. She writes about what actually works in 2026. Learn more at our services page.

Chinese Sources

中国国家旅游局 CNTA (www.cnta.gov.cn) publishes official outbound tourism statistics including destination breakdowns and spending data updated quarterly. Their 2025 annual report confirmed Australia and New Zealand as top-10 long-haul destinations for Chinese travelers.

马蜂窝 Mafengwo (www.mafengwo.cn) is one of China’s largest travel communities with over 200 million registered users. Mafengwo which has 200 million users is a key source of peer travel reviews, destination guides, and itinerary inspiration for Chinese independent travelers planning ANZ trips.