China is a significant market for Tasmania and local tourism operators are urged to make the most of the opportunity.
Congratulations to the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania on its inaugural China Tourism Operators Networking Event today. It creates an opportunity for tourism operators to learn more about the Chinese market and to hear from guest speakers on the topic.
In the space of just seven years the number of visitors coming to Tasmania from mainland China has grown from around 2,700 to more than 24,000 today.
In 2015, China visitor numbers surpassed the USA to become our largest source market for international visitors to Tasmania that year.
This was influenced by a surge in Chinese business and leisure visitors to the state following on from the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan in November 2014.
The importance of China is recognised in the development and release of Tourism Tasmania’s Asia Engagement Marketing Strategy earlier this year. And in conjunction with other mature and emerging Asian economies, China and Hong Kong will remain integral to the achievement of the State’s latest version of T21 – the Tasmanian Visitor Economy Strategy 2015-2020.
Under the Tasmanian Liberal Government’s long-term Plan, the State is now heading in the right direction with jobs remaining our number one priority. By growing the visitor economy we are continuing to support job growth throughout the State.