Team Australia lures back Chinese tourists

Shae Keenan and Julia Swanson represented Visit Victoria and the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) for a Tourism Australia delegation to China led by Managing Director Phillipa Harrison, along with State and Territory tourism leaders, Convention Bureau partners and airports.

The delegation took part in ‘Team Australia’ events and meetings to reinforce Australia’s and Victoria’s established relationships in market. This included meetings with major airlines and travel service providers in Guangzhou and Shanghai, as well as participating in the launch of Tourism Australia’s Come and Say G’day campaign in Chengdu - a campaign that includes an amazing showcase of Victoria.

The latest Tourism Research Australia survey for the year ending March 2023 shows China was the number one market for visitor expenditure nationally and sixth for visitation – showing there is a significant opportunity for further growth. In more great news, seven of the eight Chinese airlines servicing Melbourne are back, with Hainan Airlines resuming services on 29 June 2023.

Visit Victoria and MCB maintained teams on the ground in Greater China, ensuring we were ready to drive demand the moment we were able.

 Visit Victoria's China team is undertaking public relations and social activities to inspire travellers to partake in new and diverse experiences, cooperating with key airlines partners on social media campaigns, building knowledge among trade and developing campaigns to drive bookings to Victoria via key distribution partners, such as Tourism Australia and Ctrip.com.

 While a long-term focus on client relationships by MCB's China team is already paying off, with the team securing a group of 10,000 delegates for the Amway China Leadership Seminar in 2025.