Tourism Australia ramps up focus on Chinese big spenders

Tourism Australia will continue its bid to attract big spending Chinese tourists as the body steps up its marketing of high-end products to the wealthy middle classes.

The move is central to the tourism agency’s attempt to woo more independent Chinese travellers who spend more and travel more extensively around Australia.

In the latest move to take Australia upmarket, TA wants to collaborate with “elite” travel agents in the key gateway cities whose clients are “highly-affluent”.

While Tourism Australia already works with many agents across China – with around 3,200 retailers deemed ‘Aussie specialists’ having signed up to an online training program – management want to ramp up their focus on the cashed up Chinese living in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chengdu and Chongqing.