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Western Australia aims to attract more Chinese tourists to diversify economy

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      China

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      Western Australia aims to attract more Chinese tourists to diversify economy

      2025-01-30 20:47 Last Updated At:23:07

      Western Australia has been seeking to attract more visitors from China as it turns to the tourism sector to diversify it economy away from the state's traditional mining industry.

      This week is seeing a tourism spike as more Chinese people are choosing to travel for the Spring Festival, China's most important annual holiday celebrating the arrival of the Chinese New Year, which this year fell on Wednesday.

      The Spring Festival is typically an occasion for family reunions, but nowadays, traveling abroad has become an increasingly popular choice for Chinese people looking to spend the holiday in different ways.

      Sensing an opportunity, authorities in the state of Western Australia are aiming to entice more Chinese visitors as they target the tourism sector to play a more prominent role in its economy.

      Among those looking to benefit is David Thorne, who opened the Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth more than three decades ago. Given the relatively limited scope of income which can come from local visitors, Thorne set out to look overseas.

      He said his strategy included making regular trips to China as he sought to establish relationships with agents, and he said the hard work has paid off as last year around 40,000 Chinese tourists walked the grounds of the safari park.

      Tourism officials say the recent resumption of direct flights between China and Australia has also helped bring Chinese tourists back and has propelled them to being the highest spending source market of visitors to Western Australia. Last year, Chinese visitors spent more than 300 million Australian dollars in the state.

      Local authorities have also launched advertising campaigns in China to help attract more people and say they are also looking to tap into what they call the 'visiting family and friends market,' given the strong proportion of residents in Western Australia who have links to China.

      "Our connection with China is deep. We have 148,000 Western Australia residents of Chinese heritage, so the visiting family and friends market is very strong with our China market and, look, I think the Chinese New Year and the additional service in that period is just showcasing how important China is to us," said Anneke Brown, director of statutory authority Tourism WA, which comes under the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

      Tourism plays less of a role in Western Australia's economy than it does in other Australian states. Commodities such as iron ore are the region's top earner, with much of what is mined being used to make steel in China.

      But as China and other countries move toward more green and sustainable practices, experts believe the demand in iron ore will decline and say the state needs to turn to other areas such as tourism in order to sustain economic growth.

      "Tourism is very much a part of the diversification of the Western Australia economy and, of course, a very, very different and in some ways a counter-cyclical industry to balance off the reliance on iron ore. I think particularly for the China market, unlike other destinations around the world and in Australia, we are not looking for large numbers. What we're looking for is 'high value' visitors," said Evan Hall, chief executive officer of Tourism Council of Western Australia.

      With Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that China-Australia relations have achieved a "turnaround" and are maintaining a positive development momentum during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Rio de Janeiro last November, analysts say that stronger ties between the two sides will also bring more positive results from the ground level up.

      "For Chinese visitors to Australia, they play a big role. They also link the two countries together, you know we have this trade relationship. If they come to see Australia, the visit itself can be a trigger for more economic opportunities," said Sam Huang, professor of tourism and services marketing at Edith Cowan University.

      Western Australia aims to attract more Chinese tourists to diversify economy

      Western Australia aims to attract more Chinese tourists to diversify economy

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      China to implement negative list for cross-border service trade

      2025-02-27 22:31 Last Updated At:23:07

      In 2025, China will fully implement the negative list for cross-border trade in services which was rolled out last year, and launch new measures to boost opening-up in various sectors, said He Yadong, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

      He noted that developing service trade and boosting service consumption are crucial to stabilize foreign trade and drive domestic demand.

      "We will fully implement the negative list for cross-border service trade, progressively open up various sectors to international trade, take the initiative to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and work with relevant departments to introduce a batch of new measures of opening up in sectors of telecommunications, education, culture, medical care, and finance," he said.

      The ministry will also introduce policies to boost domestic consumption in sectors of household services, digital services, and sports, and increase the supply of high-quality services. Efforts will also focus on fostering new business models, innovating service consumption experiences, and improving the satisfaction of consumers, according to He.

      China rolled out the national version of negative list for cross-border trade in services in March 2024.

      The national-level list consists of 71 items. It compiles and summarizes market entry measures across various sectors, emphasizing that services and their providers in sectors not included on the list will be treated equally, whether at home or abroad, according to the ministry.

      China to implement negative list for cross-border service trade

      China to implement negative list for cross-border service trade

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