China Overtakes New Zealand as NSW’S Largest Tourism Market

China has become the State’s leading tourism market, with tourist numbers from China exceeding numbers from New Zealand for the first time.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell says China now ranks as the largest international contributor of visitor nights and expenditure in NSW.

“The latest International Visitor Survey shows that for the year to June 2013, there were 396,000 visitors to NSW from China, compared with 386,000 people arriving from New Zealand,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“The figures show an 18 per cent increase in Chinese visitor numbers to NSW, who provided a $1.3 billion boost to the State’s economy.

“These figures cement NSW as Australia’s number one state for Chinese tourism, attracting 61.2 per cent of all Chinese tourists who visit the country.

“During my visit to China earlier this year I pledged to make NSW the preferred choice for Chinese visitors arriving in Australia and I’m glad to see that goal achieved.

“We are delighted our approach is working and we are pleased to welcome visitors from China to NSW,” he said.
Minister for Tourism George Souris said the strong growth in Chinese visitors to NSW is proof the NSW Government’s strategy to increase visitor numbers from China was working.

“The NSW Government’s China Tourism Strategy was launched earlier this year to boost tourism from China and double overnight visitor expenditure to NSW by 2020,” he said.

“We’re already seeing results, China Southern Airlines has announced that from October one of its daily flights will upgrade from and A330 to an A380 – adding seats to the Guangzhou-Sydney route each year.

“Tourism is the central plank in the State’s economy and these results support the NSW Government’s pledge to maintain the State as Australia’s leading visitor destination,” Mr Souris said.