Arrivals at Sydney Airport on November 1 as Australia’s border reopened almost 600 days after it was closed due to the pandemic. Chinese tourists were notably absent. Picture: AFP
Arrivals at Sydney Airport on November 1 as Australia’s border reopened almost 600 days after it was closed due to the pandemic. Chinese tourists were notably absent. Picture: AFP
Mercedes Hutton
Opinion

Opinion

Destinations known by Mercedes Hutton

Does Australia need Chinese tourists? Confidence in domestic tourism to prop things up could be misplaced

  • Domestic tourism made up almost three-quarters of Australia’s market in 2019 but Covid-19 and recent bush fires have seen spending plummet
  • Soured Australia-China relations and warnings of racial discrimination are likely to keep many Chinese tourists away even when normal travel resumes

Mercedes Hutton
Mercedes Hutton

Updated: 10:18am, 15 Dec, 2021

Why you can trust SCMP
Arrivals at Sydney Airport on November 1 as Australia’s border reopened almost 600 days after it was closed due to the pandemic. Chinese tourists were notably absent. Picture: AFP
Arrivals at Sydney Airport on November 1 as Australia’s border reopened almost 600 days after it was closed due to the pandemic. Chinese tourists were notably absent. Picture: AFP
READ FULL ARTICLE