Australian Bureau of Statistics: The number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia reached a record high of 1.4 million in 2017

Record numbers of Chinese and Indian tourists visited Australia in 2017 as growing wealth among the world's two most populous countries fuelled a surge in overseas travel.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the number of tourists from mainland China reached about 1.4 million last year, up 13% from 2016. The number of tourists from India reached 302,900, up 15% from 2016.

As the economies of Asia's two largest countries modernize, hundreds of millions of new Asian consumers are eager to travel overseas. In addition, the Australian dollar A fall in the exchange rate from its mining boom peak in 2011 has also made Australia more attractive to tourists, who are scrambling to refurbish outdated tourism infrastructure or build new ones to cope with the influx of visitors.

Chinese tourists are expanding their horizons beyond traditional destinations, with the number of Chinese visitors to Australia's Tasmania soaring 40 per cent in the year to the end of September and calls growing for direct flights between mainland China and the island's capital, Hobart.

Ryan Felsman, senior economist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia Securities, said: "The growing and more affluent middle classes in China and India are attracted to Australia's clean and unique environment, high-quality restaurants and hotels, fresh food, safe cities, museums, galleries and warm weather."

From: Sina US Stock News