In brief
Robin Mack, managing director of Tourism Australia, confirmed that China remains Australia’s largest source of tourist arrivals and spend, recording 1.1 million trips and $369 million in visitor spend in the 2025‑26 financial year. The agency plans to deepen ties through investment in Chinese social‑media platforms and First Nations cultural experiences, citing optimistic growth forecasts for Greater China through 2028.
Tourism Australia chief Robin Mack said on Friday that China remains the country’s top tourism market, with double‑digit growth still apparent in the 2025‑26 financial year and a bright outlook for future people‑to‑people exchanges.
Australia Bureau of Statistics data showed China provided 1,127,110 short‑term visitor trips to Australia in 2025‑26, up 18.2 percent year‑on‑year, making it the second‑largest source of arrivals after the United Kingdom.
According to the International Visitor Survey Results released by Tourism Research Australia, Chinese visitors accounted for 29 percent of total visitor spend, amounting to about 369 million Australian dollars, while holiday‑spend by Chinese visitors reached 369 million AUD and friends‑and‑relatives visit spend stood at 121 million AUD.
"In terms of the connection between the countries and the importance of China, it continues to be one of our leading markets. We project it to be one of our leading markets in years ahead,"
In a related interview the chief noted that increasingly more Chinese tourists are engaging in First Nations cultural experiences while in Australia, positioning China as the third‑largest market behind the United States and the United Kingdom.
Tourism Australia has invested heavily in Chinese social‑media platforms such as Rednote, carrying out nuanced marketing activities to maintain close links with Chinese travellers and promote Australian destinations.
Drawing on an L.E.K. Consulting forecast, Mack said Greater China is expected to deliver the largest potential incremental expenditure for Australia’s tourism industry by 2028.
Mack, who visits China at least twice a year, highlighted his role in strengthening ties: "I was there last July with the Prime Minister, and it was a real opportunity to put tourism front and centre—both sides love going to each other’s country and we want that to grow both ways."
These developments underscore the continued importance of the Chinese tourism market to Australia’s national economy and the broader civic goal of fostering international cultural exchange and mutual understanding.
