In brief
Robin Mack, managing director of Tourism Australia, stated that China is Australia's largest tourism market, bringing 1.13 million trips in 2025‑26 and accounting for 29% of total spend. Visitor numbers rose 18.2% year‑on‑year, with holiday spend reaching 369 million AUD. Mack projects continued growth for 2028, urging deeper cultural ties and social media investment.
At a briefing in Sydney on Friday, tourism Australia chief Robin Mack announced that China remains the country's largest visitor source, a statement that echoes the sector’s optimistic future plans.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1,127,110 Chinese trips entered Australia during the 2025‑26 financial year, up 18.2 percent year‑on‑year, making China the second‑largest source of short‑term visitors after the United Kingdom.
Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey reports that Chinese spend totaled 369 million Australian dollars – roughly 259 million U.S. dollars – with around 121 million AUD spent on visiting friends and relatives. These figures represent 29 percent of all tourism spend in Australia for the period ending June 2026.
In a statement to Xinhua, Robin Mack said:
In terms of the connection between the countries and the importance of China, it continues to be one of our leading markets.
Mack added that China’s market shows double‑digit growth and will remain a key focus area for Tourism Australia’s marketing efforts. He claimed that Greater China is expected to deliver the largest potential incremental expenditure for the industry by 2028, citing an L.E.K. Consulting forecast.
During his tenure, Mack has spent time in China twice a year, including a recent visit in July with the Australian Prime Minister, which he described as “an opportunity to put a spotlight on tourism because it is at the heart of people‑to‑people connections.”
The agency also noted that more Chinese visitors are participating in First Nations cultural experiences, positioning China as the third‑largest market behind the United Kingdom and the United States for this sector.
Tourism Australia plans to invest further in Chinese social media platforms such as Rednote, aiming to create nuanced campaigns and spotlight activities that keep the agency close to Chinese travelers.
These combined strategies aim to sustain record growth and deepen cultural exchanges between Australia and China in the coming years.
