Australians Map Route to China

Droves of Australians are jetting off to the East with searches for travel to China more than doubling (52 per cent) in the last year, according to new data from Cheapflights.com.au.  

Propelled by stronger tourism ties between Australia and China – with new routes[1] and the arrival of more Chinese airlines to Australian terminals^[2] – Aussies are most likely (22 per cent) to spend half their annual leave (14 days) exploring this unique region.   

Nathan Graham, Regional Sales Manager at Cheapflights ANZ, said, “Since the announcement of a new service between Adelaide and Guangzhou, we’ve seen the city surpass Shanghai as Australia’s favourite Chinese destination.

“National searches to this sprawling metropolis have surged by 269 per cent year-on-year, with departures from South Australia increasing by 17 per cent.”

The growing access between the countries has also sparked greater competition, driving airfares down. For example, exploring the capital, Beijing, will cost Aussies 37 per cent less than in 2015. Sydney is the most affordable airport to depart from with return airfares from just $643, followed by Brisbane ($700) and Melbourne ($795).

“Getting to China will be more convenient and budget-friendly for Aussies in 2017. The new tourism partnerships also mean that the same is true in reverse – and we expect to see a steady increase in reciprocal travel numbers throughout the year.

“China is already Australia’s most valuable inbound tourism market, set to be worth $13 billion by 2020. And with the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, designating 2017 as the Australia-China Year of Tourism, the number of travellers and in turn, the economic benefit to the country, is set to skyrocket,” said Nathan Graham.

For more information about visiting China, visit Cheapflights.com.au.

ENDS