About 1.4 million Chinese travellers visited Australia each year before the pandemic, spending $12.4 billion, but the business has been slow to recover from the COVID travel bans.
The federal government is trying to restore $12.4 billion in annual tourism business by urging Chinese travellers to return to Australia, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rebuilds relations with an official visit to Shanghai and Beijing.
Tourism Australia, which is hosting the event for Albanese and Trade Minister Don Farrell on Sunday, estimates the visitor numbers in August were 50 per cent of the numbers before the pandemic. Most flights to and from Australia are operated by China Southern, China Eastern and Air China. Qantas resumed flights to Shanghai last Sunday.Albanese will meet the tourism industry chiefs in Shanghai, including companies that promote and book travel to Australia, before attending the opening session of the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.
“We must cooperate with China where we can, we will disagree where we must, but we will also engage in our national interest,” he said.
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