A group of Chinese travel trade partners from Beijing and Shanghai has toured the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.
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Port Macquarie was part of the Chinese trade familiarisation trip itinerary.
It is hoped the November 16 visit will be a step towards more Chinese tourists visiting the area.
Analysis of koala hospital visitor statistics shows 46 per cent are Australian, 40 per cent are European, including from the UK, six per cent are Asian and Americans make up eight per cent.
Of these visitors, 66 per cent are individuals or couples and 34 per cent are family groups.
There are about 43 group visits a year.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital media coordinator Sue Ashton said the koala hospital’s mission was to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild koalas, as well as to educate people about koalas.
She said the November 16 visit gave the koala hospital a great opportunity to tell people from China about koalas and the koala hospital’s role.
The Chinese delegation also visited Sea Acres Rainforest Centre before heading to Coffs Harbour.
Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams said the Chinese trade familiarisation trip was part of the NSW Government’s partnership with Qantas.
“Hosted by our tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, the group’s itinerary will highlight some of our region’s best travel experiences to entice more Chinese visitors to this beautiful part of the world,” Mrs Williams said.
“Attracting international travellers to our region brings significant economic benefits to our local tourism industry, putting more heads on hotel beds, diners in restaurants and shoppers in boutiques, all driving the local economy and creating jobs.
“Our region is famous for its natural beauty, unspoilt beaches and modern tourism facilities and we look forward to giving these trade partners who sell our region to Chinese visitors each day, a taste of the amazing experiences that Port Macquarie has to offer.”
Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the initiative was a fantastic opportunity to tap into the state’s number one inbound tourism market.
“Over the past five years, visitation from China to NSW has more than doubled while expenditure has increased by 153 per cent, making these travellers our most lucrative inbound tourism market worth $3.4 billion to our State,” Mr Marshall said.
“Chinese visitors are voting with their passports, flying into NSW in record numbers and the NSW Government is committed to ensuring this growth continues.
“Through strategic partnerships we are creating more opportunities for Chinese visitors to head beyond the fringes of the city and into rural and regional NSW, which is great news for local businesses.”
The familiarisation visit covers Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Byron Bay and the Tweed.
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