CHINESE NEW YEAR TOURIST BOOM

THE Great Ocean Road will resound to cries of ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ this weekend as Chinese tourists celebrate Chinese New Year.

With the annual celebration starting on Saturday — and running for two weeks — Australian tourism is set to benefit from Chinese travellers.

Industry analysis by the Australian Tourism Export Council shows Australia continues to see more tourists from China.

“Our China specialists are telling us Chinese visitation is up 10 to 20 per cent on last year’s New Year period and there is a dramatic increase in the number of high-spending, free independent travellers which is great news for our industry,” ATEC managing director Peter Shelley said.

Parks Victoria has taken a proactive approach to welcoming the influx of Chinese tourists, with two Mandarin- speaking park rangers joining the team at Port Campbell National Park.

Eugena Han and Wenbo Chen will bring their multilingual skills to the park to help Chinese visitors better understand the coastal environment. “I feel excited to educate visitors and motivate them to appreciate the

natural and cultural values of Port Campbell National Park,” Ms Han said.

“Through my talks, I am hoping visitors learn more about the park and the surrounding areas, and spend more time along the coast and in the hinterland.”

Daily peaks of more than 10,000 visitors are expected at the Twelve Apostles precinct during the Chinese New Year period.

This is the Year of the Dog in the Chinese zodiac calendar.