Tourism Australia has previewed a new advertising campaign and signed an MoU with Chinese travel giant Trip.com to promote Australia as a premier destination for Chinese travellers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the launch of the next chapter of Tourism Australia's Come and Say G’Day campaign during his trade mission to China.

Mr Albanese also witnessed Tourism Australia and Trip.com Group sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Shanghai, which is expected to provide a significant boost for Australia’s visitor economy.

The three-year agreement will see the delivery of increased destination marketing activity and the creation of new travel packages to encourage more visitors to plan and book holidays to Australia.

The agreement prioritises activity in the China market while expanding collaboration in other key international source markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Japan.

Trip.com Group is one of the world’s largest travel agencies. It commands more than 40 per cent of the Chinese travel market, has a large presence in other parts of Asia and is accessed by more than 300 million travellers worldwide.

According to Trip.com Group data, Australia ranked as the top long-haul destination booked during the 2025 Lunar New Year peak period and the leading Southern Hemisphere destination for Chinese travellers throughout 2024.

China is Australia’s largest inbound market by expenditure, with a total spend of $9.2 billion in the 12 months to March 2025. This represents around a quarter of all short-term international visitor expenditure in Australia for that period.

Chinese tourism is also growing at a faster pace than other international markets, with a 26 per cent increase in visitors in the past 12 months and a total of 860,000 trips to Australia.

Mr Albanese said: “Not only is Australia’s beef, barley, red wine and rock lobster the best in the world – we’re the best place in the world to come for a holiday.

“Expanding our tourism relationship with China will mean more jobs for Australians and a boost for Australian businesses.”

The new tourism campaign features Ruby the Roo as a Mandarin-speaking kangaroo alongside popular Chinese actor Yu Shi. It will launch in August 2025.

“Our message here in Shanghai and throughout China is come and say g’day to us Down Under,” Mr Albanese said.

“Australia is already a destination of choice for Chinese tourists, growing more popular every year and we saw downstairs the practical demonstration that Australia is the number one long haul destination for tourists from China.

“And as we see, the increase in the middle class in China grow as well. Increasingly, this is a market that will be of massive benefit for Australia.”

During the trade mission, Tourism Australia and the China Media Group (CMG) also signed a new Strategic Cooperation Agreement providing Australia with greater media exposure in China, showcasing Australia as a world-class tourism destination.

This strategic collaboration moves beyond conventional tourism promotion and will employ culturally attuned storytelling to foster deeper engagement, strengthen brand affinity, and inspire Chinese travellers to explore Australia.

In particular, the partnership will leverage CMG’s extensive media ecosystem, spanning television, radio, digital and social media platforms, to co-create and distribute compelling content that brings Australia’s unique travel experiences to life.

Australia and China also renewed a Memorandum of Understanding between Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism to assist in growing traveller numbers to the benefit of the visitor economy across Australia’s cities and regions.

Accommodation Australia chief executive James Goodwin said: “It’s great to see the Prime Minister strengthening the relationship with China and great to see he’s prioritising our travel and tourism sectors,”

“There has rightly been lots of focus on trade of physical products but tourism is a major export supporting close to one million jobs in the Australian economy.

“Chinese travellers love what Australia has to offer so we welcome more promotion of not just capital cities but our amazing regional attractions and support making it easier for people to travel here.”

Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) CEO Margy Osmond said: “The tourism industry commends the efforts of the Prime Minister to promote Australia as a leading destination to the Chinese market,” she said. “This strategic move will look to reconnect our shores with a critical audience and continue to build one of Australia’s most valuable tourism relationships.

“Campaigns such as Tourism Australia’s latest initiative, which feature culturally resonant icons like Ruby the Roo and actor Yu Shi, play a vital role in reigniting demand and ensuring Australia stands out in a competitive global tourism market.”