Relaxed visa policy spurs travel to Australia

Chinese travelers are expected to show greater interest in visiting Australia during the upcoming Spring Festival break, encouraged by the recent announcement of a 10-year multiple entry visa for tourists from China as well as the warm weather in the Southern Hemisphere, industry players said.

For the Lunar New Year holiday that runs from Jan 28 to Feb 4, Chinese tourists have already booked hotels in over 1,300 cities of 96 countries globally. Australia is one of the 10 most popular overseas destinations for Chinese tourists, according to data from Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.

"China was the number one inbound tourist source market to Australia before the COVID-19 pandemic. At the moment, it is running second behind New Zealand in terms of the number of tourists visiting Australia," said Brian Tyson, chairman of SEC Newgate Australia, the country's largest full-service strategic communications firm.