Tourism Australia will launch its coastal and aquatic campaign in the Chinese market as part of Australia Week in China next week in an effort to further boost arrivals from Australia’s most lucrative inbound market.

The $40 million campaign, first launched in New York in January, will feature similar content to that used in the US market, but more Asian talent and increased focus on passive aquatic and coastal experiences like whale-watching rather than active ones like scuba diving, in line with Tourism Australia’s research.

The latest statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released on Thursday reported a 5.9 per cent rise in Chinese arrivals to 173,600 in the month of February, but when January was included to normalise for the earlier Chinese New Year holiday this year, the numbers rose by 21.1 per cent to 287,900.

In the month of February, total international arrivals rose by 10.3 per cent to 796,700. Earlier this week, the ABS reported Australia reported $4.11 billion in tourism income, the highest on record.
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“Tourism [had] a stunning performance in February,” said Steve Whan, the manager of the Australian Chamber National Tourism Council. “One in five visitors to Australia in February came from mainland China.”

However, he warned competing nations were moving faster to simplify visa processes for Chinese travellers. Thailand last year introduced a $US36 ($47) visa on arrival for Chinese travellers that helped contribute to a 71 per cent rise in Chinese visitors to that country in 2015. For Australian visas, Chinese travellers need to submit a detailed application and pay $135.
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