Australia: The Top Destination for Chinese High-Spenders
Australia and China are rebuilding one of tourism’s most valuable bilateral relationships. Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were Australia’s highest-spending inbound market, with nearly 800,000 visitors in 2019 spending close to AUD 5.4 billion annually. Recovery since 2022 has been gradual, but in 2025, the numbers are moving in the right direction, and Australia is actively investing in winning back Chinese visitors.
For tourism operators in Australia, this is a real opportunity. Chinese travelers spend more, stay longer, and explore more of the country than many other visitor groups. Here is where things stand and what it takes to attract them in 2025-2026.
The State of Chinese Tourism to Australia in 2025
Direct flights between China and Australia have been gradually restored since 2023, with airlines including Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern increasing frequencies to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. By 2025, capacity is approaching 70% of pre-pandemic levels on the key trunk routes.
According to CNTA (China National Tourism Administration), Australia remains in the top 15 outbound destinations for Chinese travelers, and it consistently appears in aspirational travel lists on Douyin and Xiaohongshu. Chinese travelers specifically cite wildlife (kangaroos, koalas, the Great Barrier Reef), clean air and open spaces, safe cities, and high-quality food as the top reasons to visit. The unique natural environment, so different from China’s urban centers, is genuinely compelling.
Tourism Australia has invested significantly in marketing to Chinese travelers through Chinese digital platforms, partnering with KOLs and running campaigns on Douyin and Weibo. The campaign data shows strong engagement, particularly among younger Chinese travelers aged 25-40 who are planning their first or second long-haul trip.
What Chinese Tourists Want in Australia
Nature and Wildlife
Australian wildlife is genuinely exotic for Chinese travelers. Holding a koala, watching kangaroos in the wild, and seeing a platypus are experiences that simply do not exist anywhere else. The Great Barrier Reef and the Red Centre (Uluru) draw Chinese travelers who have seen them on Douyin and want the real experience. Tourism operators who can offer Chinese-language guides and signage for wildlife experiences have a meaningful competitive advantage.
Luxury and High-End Experiences
Chinese tourists visiting Australia spend an average of AUD 7,000 per trip, making them one of the highest-spending groups. They are not budget travelers. The Chinese visitor profile skews toward quality accommodation, fine dining, exclusive tours, and premium shopping. Australian wine, seafood, and local produce have a strong following among Chinese food enthusiasts who discover Australian gastronomy on Xiaohongshu before they arrive.
Educational Tourism
A growing segment of Chinese visitors to Australia combines tourism with educational visits: checking out universities and schools for their children, attending summer language programs, or combining a family holiday with campus tours. This is particularly active in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, which host large numbers of Chinese international students and have strong Chinese community networks.
Independent Travel Growth
The shift from group tours to fully independent travel (FIT) is clear in the Australia market. According to Mafengwo travel data, Chinese travelers planning Australian trips are increasingly building custom itineraries, renting cars to explore regional areas, and booking directly through Chinese OTAs like Ctrip and Fliggy rather than going through group tour operators. This creates direct opportunities for regional tourism operators who have previously been invisible to the China market.
How to Reach Chinese Tourists for Your Australian Business
Douyin and Xiaohongshu First
Chinese travelers discover Australia on Douyin. Dramatic Great Barrier Reef clips, wildlife encounters, and sunset views over Uluru perform exceptionally well on the platform. Working with Chinese travel KOLs who specialize in Australia content can produce content that reaches millions of potential visitors organically.
On Xiaohongshu, detailed destination guides, hotel reviews, and itinerary posts in Chinese are what traveler-planners look for. A Chinese visitor who is researching a Sydney trip will check RED for accommodation recommendations, restaurant lists, and day trip options. Your business needs to be findable in those searches.
Chinese OTA Listings
Getting listed on Trip.com, Ctrip, and Fliggy with Chinese-language descriptions and proper photos is non-negotiable for accommodation and tour operators who want direct Chinese bookings. Many Australian hotels still have incomplete or English-only listings on these platforms, which is a simple gap to close.
Why Your Chinese Digital Presence Matters
- Chinese website with ICP license and China hosting (Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud): essential if you want your own booking funnel to work inside China. Without China-accessible hosting, your website is slow or invisible to Chinese searchers.
- Douyin: Australia’s dramatic landscapes and wildlife are perfect Douyin content. Short video is where Chinese travelers get excited about long-haul trips to destinations like Australia.
- Xiaohongshu (RED): the detailed research platform where travel decisions get confirmed. Chinese travelers planning an Australia trip will check RED extensively before booking.
- Baidu SEO and PPC: Chinese travelers actively search for Australia tours, Sydney hotels, and Great Barrier Reef experiences in Mandarin. Being on Baidu means capturing that active search demand.
- WeChat: the customer relationship channel. Chinese travelers in Australia use WeChat to communicate with tour operators, hotels, and guides throughout their trip.
Learn how we help Australian tourism operators build their China presence at our services page. You can also read specifically about Douyin marketing and Xiaohongshu marketing for tourism.
Australia vs Key Competitors for Chinese Tourists
| Factor | Australia | Japan | Thailand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight time from Shanghai | 11-13 hours | 2-3 hours | 4-5 hours |
| Avg Chinese spend per trip | AUD 7,000 | JPY 200,000+ | THB 40,000+ |
| Visa requirement | Required (ETA available) | Required | Visa-free (2024) |
| Top draws | Wildlife, nature, education | Food, shopping, culture | Beaches, wellness, food |
| Key booking platform | Ctrip, Fliggy | Trip.com | Trip.com, Agoda |
FAQ
Are Chinese tourist numbers to Australia back to pre-pandemic levels?
Not yet at full pre-pandemic volumes, but recovery is steady and accelerating. The biggest limiting factor has been flight capacity: rebuilding direct flight connections between China and Australia takes time and airline investment. As seat capacity grows through 2025 and 2026, visitor numbers are expected to increase sharply. Australia is still a top-10 aspiration destination for Chinese travelers looking for long-haul trips, which means the demand is there, it is the supply of affordable direct flights that is catching up.
What is the best way for a small Australian tourism business to attract Chinese visitors?
Start with Xiaohongshu. Create a profile, post high-quality photos of your property or experience with Chinese captions, and invite Chinese travelers to tag your location. Get listed on Trip.com and Ctrip with a complete Chinese-language profile and good photos. Accept WeChat Pay and Alipay if possible, as Chinese travelers prefer these for paying. These three steps are achievable without a large budget and can generate meaningful inquiries within weeks, especially if you are in a location or niche that photographs well.
Do Chinese tourists in Australia tend to stay in cities or explore regional areas?
Both. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast are the main entry points and highest-traffic destinations. But an increasing share of Chinese visitors, particularly independent travelers who have already visited once, are exploring regional Australia: the Great Ocean Road, wine regions like the Yarra Valley and Barossa, Kangaroo Island, the Daintree Rainforest, and Tasmania. These regions offer exactly the kind of unique, off-the-beaten-path content that performs strongly on Douyin and Xiaohongshu, which in turn drives more Chinese visitor interest in them.
Should Australian tourism businesses work with Chinese travel agencies?
Yes, but it is one channel among several rather than the only strategy. Chinese travel agencies that specialize in long-haul FIT travel and group tours to Australia are valuable partners, particularly for reaching older Chinese travelers who prefer booking through an agent. For younger independent travelers, direct digital marketing through Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Baidu is more effective. The best approach combines both: build your own Chinese digital presence to capture direct bookings, and maintain relationships with 2 to 3 specialist Australian-focused Chinese travel agencies for group business.
Time to Put Australia on Every Chinese Traveler’s List
Australia has something genuinely extraordinary to offer Chinese tourists: experiences that exist nowhere else on earth. The challenge is making sure Chinese travelers can find you, research you in their language, and book with you through the platforms they trust. We help Australian tourism businesses do exactly that. Visit our services page and let’s start building your China strategy.
Marcus Zhan is a digital strategist at CTA with over 10 years of experience helping international brands grow in China. He specializes in Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Chinese SEO.
One Comment