AUSTRALIA used to be a popular destination for Chinese visitors before the pandemic hit the country in 2019.
Tourism operators eagerly await their return as their increasing numbers are considered critical to the local economy.
As many as 1.4-M Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2019 and injected more than $2.1-B into the country’s economy.
According to the latest data, China is Australia’s second biggest source of international arrivals after New Zealand for this year.
Flights from China to Australia are back to 73% of pre-pandemic levels as of August, based on the latest data from tourism Australia.
The government agency however said that their numbers are not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2026.
