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Spending by international visitors in Australia has surpassed AU$ 40 billion (USD 31 billion) for the first time with a quarter coming from Chinese tourists, a tourism survey said on Wednesday. The International Visitor Survey, released by Tourism Research Australia on Wednesday, revealed that international spending rose 6 percent, or AU$ 2.2 billion (USD 1.7 billion), to AU$ 41.3 billion (USD 32.44 billion) in the 2017 calendar year. The number of international visitors to Australia also rose 6 percent to 8.1 million. "Chinese tourists remain Australia's biggest spenders, pumping a record AU$ 10.4 billion (USD 8.17 billion) - a 14 percent increase from last year - into the economy," Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Steven Ciobo said in a media release on Wednesday. The growth coincided with the 2017 China Australia Year of Tourism - a government initiative to promote Australia as a destination in China through "targeted marketing, aviation liberalization and visa reform." Approximately 1.33 million Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2017, second only to New Zealand. Read Original Article |
