An Australian federal government plan for a new Cairns-based forum on Chinese tourism has been welcomed by the Australian Tourism Export Council.
ATEC said the move is a positive step in revitalising the inbound tourism industry in Far North Queensland.
China recently overtook Japan as the fourth-largest source of inbound tourism into Australia.
ATEC managing director Matt Hingerty said, “Cairns and the Far North Queensland region has been badly hit by the decline in the Japanese market in recent years.
“However the area has shown an excellent ability to adapt to new markets and new trading conditions, and so is a good choice for this forum.â€
Hingerty added that recent figures might in fact show that the decline in the Japanese market has halted, “which would be additional bright news for a region which sorely needs itâ€.
