Is Sydney Doing Enough to Attract Chinese Tourists?

CHINESE travellers on the move for leisure and business present a valuable opportunity for Sydney. Australia, and Sydney in particular, continues to attract more business travellers, with Chinese convention and conference visitor arrivals rising 4 per cent in the year to March 31.

Sydney’s events and tourism industry is making efforts to become ”China ready”. An increasing number of hotels, attractions and suppliers are providing Chinese language or cultural study lessons for staff, integrating Chinese language tours into their programs and rethinking menu and media options.

Sydney Airport is working with BESydney and Destination NSW to ensure people feel welcome from the moment they disembark. The City of Sydney is about to introduce seminars for city retailers to help them understand the needs and expectations of Chinese visitors. And BESydney hosts an annual international market brief for its 200-plus industry members that focuses on sharing insights into the Chinese business event market.

A whole-of-city approach is required to successfully extend the welcoming atmosphere we are known for to our Chinese guests. There is good work under way, but there is always room for more.
This financial year BESydney has secured 32 Asian corporate events estimated to be worth more than $90 million to the NSW economy. These events will attract about 18,500 visitors who will spend a combined 91,700 days in Sydney. About one in three of the events is from China.

Chinese organisations behind such events are drawn to destinations that offer culture, commerce and creativity in spades. They seek dynamic business environments, innovative team-building activities, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and world-class leisure options. This is a package that Sydney has a strong track record in delivering.

Are we doing enough to attract the lucrative Chinese visitor? I would ask instead: do we really understand the value of this market? My answer is Chinese leisure and business travellers improve our visitor and knowledge economies. Business travellers present opportunities for trade and investment, knowledge exchange, innovation and collaboration. A strong relationship with Chinese visitors, beyond the transactional, is essential to the success of our city and our state.

Every Sydney business should be asking how it can contribute to a more welcoming city and how can it engage with visitors in a meaningful way. Sydney needs to jump into the Asian century boots and all to maximise the opportunities in a growing market.