As diplomatic tensions escalated last year, Beijing has warned citizens against travelling to Australia. A tourism expert in Australia now says Chinese tourists will be influenced by government directives and staying away until these warnings are withdrawn.
With a strong interest in overseas travel by many Chinese people being reported, Australia’s loss may be a gain for other destinations, with southeast Asia, including Thailand, being in the sights of would-be Chinese tourists.
Sam Huang, from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, says the Chinese government holds a lot of sway over the country’s outbound tourism, which did not bode well for Australia. He said that Chinese travellers are unlikely to return to Australia in the same numbers as before the pandemic unless diplomatic relations between the two countries improve. “The current situation of the Australia-China relationship will be a big barrier for our future tourism recovery.”
Chinese tourists were big business — China was Australia’s largest inbound tourist market for both arrivals and spending in 2019, according to Tourism Australia. There were 758,551 holiday arrivals from China in the year to December 2019. Chinese holidaymakers spent $AUS3.3 billion in Australia over that year.
As diplomatic tensions escalated last year, Chinese authorities upgraded their travel advice, warning citizens against travelling to Australia. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy and consulates in Australia remind Chinese citizens to be extra careful about the local security risks and be cautious about travelling to Australia in the near future,” the advice said.
It followed similar messages to Chinese students considering studying in Australia.
Professor Huang said these kinds of government statements could have a significant effect on tourism. “I think Chinese tourists will be influenced by some government directives,” he said. “If you look at the industry, I would also see it’s possible for the Chinese government to influence industry practices.”
“We should really learn a lesson from that. Unless we can build a good relationship with the Chinese government, we should not expect they will send tourists to us. “The country-to-country relationship will be playing a big role in future international tourism.”
