The number of Chinese travellers heading Down Under has dropped so dramatically over recent years that figures are now less than half of those recorded before the pandemic, according to Tourism Research Australia.

In 2019, tourists from China were bringing in over £9.2bn into the Australian economy.

Today, however, their numbers are so low that Qantas airline is scrapping its Sydney to Shanghai route due to a lack of demand, with planes often only half full.

“Since Covid, the demand for travel between Australia and China has not recovered as strongly as expected,” Qantas International chief executive, Cam Wallace, told news.com.au.

Tourism and Transport Forum Australia chief executive, Margy Osmond, added that the massive drop in numbers “has had a significant impact on the tourism industry”.

Before the pandemic, China was one of Australia’s largest sources for international tourism, Osmond continued, adding that a big increase in domestic tourism in China in recent years was one of the major contributors to the drop.

“But we’re working hard to try and entice more Chinese visitors to come to Australia and we hope to see more Chinese visitors return to our shores,’ Osmond added.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that in March 2024 Chinese short-term visitor arrivals were just 47 percent of the March 2019 level. In the other direction, levels have also fallen but not to the same extent – the number of Australians travelling to China is now at 85 percent of pre-Covid levels.

Chinese travellers tended to be big spenders in Australia – with a visitor spending an average of over £7,200 each – a total spend of just under £9.6 billion, according to Mail Online. In comparison, Americans spent just £3.970 (totalling £3.02 billion), UK visitors spent £3.870 (totalling £2.6 billion and New Zealanders spent £1.550 (totalling £2.02 billion).

However, while tourist numbers from the US, UK, New Zealand and India have increased substantially since the end of the pandemic, Chinese numbers have not.

Experts have suggested that factors keeping numbers down included the political and trade tension which built up under former prime minister Scott Morrison, high flight costs and the Chinese economy, which is no longer as strong as it was a decade ago.

Tourism Australia, however, believe that numbers will start to improve: “Whilst travel with China reopened a year later than other markets (after Covid), we are confident about its recovery as the market continues to steadily rebuild,’ a spokesman said.