Exploring Chinese visitor demand for Australia's indigenous tourism experiences

Abstract

Responding to the rapid growth of outbound travel from China, Australia's national tourism body, Tourism Australia, is investing considerable efforts into strategically positioning the Australian tourism industry to be 'China-ready' through targeted marketing programs, formalized policy and planning, and industry education and training. Yet Australia's indigenous tourism sector, while declining across international markets generally, also appears to be missing the opportunities available from the growth in inbound Chinese tourists to the country. Therefore, this study sought to explore the intersection of Australia's indigenous tourism sector and the Chinese market through a multi-method and participant approach that examined: inbound Chinese tourists' relative demand, motivations and preferences, and opportunities and barriers. The findings of the study are examined in the context of understanding the Chinese inbound market, as well as Tourism Australia's marketing and promotion initiatives for the inbound Chinese market.