In brief
Robin Mack, head of Tourism Australia, told Xinhua in Sydney that China accounted for more than 1.1 million trips and 29% of tourism spend in the 2025‑26 financial year, marking double‑digit growth and positioning the country as a key focus for the agency. He highlighted plans to boost investment in Chinese social media and First Nations cultural experiences and cited a forecast that Greater China could deliver the largest incremental expenditure by 2028.
In a briefing in Sydney on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, Robin Mack, managing director of Tourism Australia (TA), confirmed that China remained the country’s largest source of visitors and tourism spend.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, China recorded 1,127,110 short‑term visitor arrivals in the 2025‑26 financial year, an 18.2% increase year‑on‑year. The International Visitor Survey Results released by Tourism Research Australia showed that Chinese visitors contributed 29% of total tourism spend, amounting to 369 million Australian dollars in holiday spend and 121 million AUD in visiting friends and relatives spend.
"In terms of the connection between the countries and the importance of China, it continues to be one of our leading markets. We project it to be one of our leading markets in years ahead," Mack said to Xinhua.
He also noted a rising trend of Chinese visitors participating in First Nations cultural experiences, ranking China as the third‑largest market behind the United Kingdom and the United States.
Mack highlighted TA’s planned investment in Chinese social media platforms such as Rednote and a series of spotlight activities to strengthen ties, saying "I go to China at least twice a year with this role," and that he had recently visited China in July with the Australian Prime Minister to promote tourism and people‑to‑people connections.
According to a forecast from L.E.K. Consulting cited by Mack, Greater China could deliver the largest incremental expenditure for Australia’s tourism industry by 2028. The agency’s optimistic outlook points to continued growth in the Chinese market and future opportunities for increased people‑to‑people exchanges between the two nations.
