New Agreement With Sichuan Airlines to Bring More Chinese Visitors to Sydney and Regional NSW

Sydney and Regional NSW will be showcased to the fast-growing region in Western China which has a population of more than 30 million, with the NSW Government signing a new agreement with Sichuan Airlines to attract more visitors to NSW.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said the agreement, brokered by the State's tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, builds on the already strong partnership with Sichuan Airlines and will see the promotion of direct flights and travel packages from

Chongqing to Sydney via online travel platform, Alitrip, and online travel agent, including Ctrip.

“I am delighted to announce this new agreement with Sichuan Airlines which will further promote Sydney and Regional NSW to Chinese audiences,” Ms Chipchase said.

“This is also an Australian first, as Destination NSW is the first State Tourism Office in Australia to be working with Alitrip, one of China's leading online travel platforms as part of this historic agreement with Sichuan Airlines.”

The campaign will leverage the exciting 2016 “only in Sydney” events that have proved popular with Chinese visitors such as Vivid Sydney, the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas.

“Vivid Sydney is a unique and spectacular event that gives visitors an experience of a city like no other, with our iconic buildings immersed in vibrant colour, fantastic music events and the chance to hear world renowned speakers, it truly is an unmissable event,” Ms Chipchase said.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said in the year ended December 2015, NSW welcomed nearly 567,000 Chinese visitors, who for the second consecutive period, surpassed $2 billion in expenditure in NSW, spending $2.3 billion.

“This new agreement further extends our relationship with Ctrip, the largest online travel agency in China, after signing a two year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with them just last August,” Mr Ayres said.

“The NSW Government is focused on expanding our reach into target markets in more regions of China so that China remains our largest inbound travel market, and we are excited to be showcasing Australia's premier State through our partnership with Sichuan Airlines.”