The Goldfields and Grampians regions have long been on the bucket lists of Chinese tourists.
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Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill, Wildlife Park and Kryal Castle, combined with Ararat’s Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre are some of the most favourite attractions to see for tourists from China.
Now a new push by the state government to attract more Chinese tourists – those who want to do more than tick off their bucket lists – will spell nothing but good news for the economies of towns and cities in the Goldfields and Grampians areas.
For the first time in six years, the state government is launching a Chinese tourism campaign to attract more visitors, support jobs, boost the economy and showcase what Victoria has to offer.
The new campaign will stay ahead of the curve in attracting international visitors from China.
This will add weight to a survey late last year which found Chinese visitors led a tourism boom to the Goldfields region, spending more than double any other nationality visiting the state.
The International Visitor Survey showed Chinese tourists injected $10 million into the state’s economy between January and September 2017.
Chinese visitors have also put Ararat’s Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre on their to-do lists when visiting Victoria. The popular Ararat centre tells the story of the Chinese miners and their journey from Southern China to Australia where they dreamed of finding gold and discovered one of the world's richest shallow alluvial goldfields, the Canton Lead.
The new Visit Victoria’s campaign targets young millennials who look for local and authentic experiences, rather than ticking off a bucket list of icons.
To capture the attention of these travellers, the campaign features one of China’s most popular rising stars, actor Li Xian.
The campaign will be aimed at larger cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, each of which have direct flights to Melbourne, making it easier for Chinese travellers to visit.
The campaign showcases Victoria’s produce, major sporting and cultural events and natural landscapes and wildlife.
China is currently Victoria’s largest international tourism market, with almost 600,000 visitors spending $2.7 billion in the 12 months to September 2017.