Australia needs to make itself 'China-ready', as a significant increase in tourists from the Chinese market is expected in the near future.
This is according to research carried out by Deloitte, which found that Chinese millennials are increasingly looking to Australia as an appealing destination for both business and leisure, ABC News reports.
Deloitte found that the sum spent by Chinese tourists in Australia rose by 45 per cent between 2015 and 2016, reaching a record $8.3 billion at the end of last year. It is predicted that this will rise even further over the next few years to reach $13 billion by 2020.
Many of China's millennials are benefiting from the nation's strong economy, meaning they have money to spend on holidays and experiences abroad, so it is important that Australia is taking note of this in order to gain from this well-off, young generation.
These individuals are also very social media-savvy, so could help to promote Australia's profile to even more travellers from across the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, the acting head of the Rottnest Island Board Michelle Reynolds found that getting selfies with quokkas was a particular draw for Chinese visitors down under.
This has resulted in Rottnest Island becoming a particularly popular destination for Chinese tourists, thanks to the large colony of quokkas that resides there, while the rugged landscapes and wildlife of the Kimberley also attract large numbers of visitors from China. Meanwhile, Western Australia is attracting more Chinese tourists all the time.
Speaking to ABC News, Adele Labine-Romain, a partner at Deloitte in Australia, commented: "We need investment in product, in supply and to match that projected demand. We also need to respond to what it means to have visitors from China. It means being China-ready.
"That means having language skills and a service culture that's well-orientated for that market. Already a number of tourism operators are skilling up to be China-ready, training to speak Mandarin or employing interpreters."
This is according to research carried out by Deloitte, which found that Chinese millennials are increasingly looking to Australia as an appealing destination for both business and leisure, ABC News reports.
Deloitte found that the sum spent by Chinese tourists in Australia rose by 45 per cent between 2015 and 2016, reaching a record $8.3 billion at the end of last year. It is predicted that this will rise even further over the next few years to reach $13 billion by 2020.
Many of China's millennials are benefiting from the nation's strong economy, meaning they have money to spend on holidays and experiences abroad, so it is important that Australia is taking note of this in order to gain from this well-off, young generation.
These individuals are also very social media-savvy, so could help to promote Australia's profile to even more travellers from across the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, the acting head of the Rottnest Island Board Michelle Reynolds found that getting selfies with quokkas was a particular draw for Chinese visitors down under.
This has resulted in Rottnest Island becoming a particularly popular destination for Chinese tourists, thanks to the large colony of quokkas that resides there, while the rugged landscapes and wildlife of the Kimberley also attract large numbers of visitors from China. Meanwhile, Western Australia is attracting more Chinese tourists all the time.
Speaking to ABC News, Adele Labine-Romain, a partner at Deloitte in Australia, commented: "We need investment in product, in supply and to match that projected demand. We also need to respond to what it means to have visitors from China. It means being China-ready.
"That means having language skills and a service culture that's well-orientated for that market. Already a number of tourism operators are skilling up to be China-ready, training to speak Mandarin or employing interpreters."
