Tourism Australia is pushing to restore Chinese tourist arrivals to one million, with current visitor numbers reaching 981,400 in the past year — a 16% YoY increase. Chinese spending in Australia totaled 11.7 billion Australian dollars ($7.7 billion), driven mainly by holiday and education travel. Weekly flights between China and Australia have recovered to 117, expected to reach 180 during Spring Festival — nearly matching 2019 levels. “We’re seeing strong recovery momentum,” said Nick Henderson, Tourism Australia’s Greater China chief. The rebound comes as Australia implements visa digitalization and airlines add seasonal routes like Shanghai-Perth and Guangzhou-Darwin. Simultaneously, Australian travel to China surged 87% to 580,000 visitors in 2024, boosted by China’s extended visa-free policy.