Brisbane 12 November 2013. Three hundred of China’s top travel agents who specialise in selling Australian holidays will converge on the Gold Coast for the inaugural Corroboree Greater China in 2014.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey said the Gold Coast was the perfect location to host Tourism Australia’s inaugural Chinese trade event, which will be held in June next year.

“The beautiful Gold Coast’s stunning beaches, wildlife attractions and incredible produce, ticks all the boxes for what Chinese visitors look for in an Australian holiday – it’s the ideal destination for this event,” Ms Stuckey said

“The tourism industry was ground to halt under Labor but under the Newman Government’s commitment to grow a four pillar economy, the industry is now in the middle of a revival.

“Events such as Corroboree Greater China will complement the Australian Tourism Exchange held in Cairns in May, will further bolster the state’s $22 billion tourism industry and help achieve our goal of doubling annual overnight visitor expenditure from $15 billion to $30 billion by 2020.

“It’s a tremendous forum for tourism businesses to build relationships with Chinese travel agents and convert the growing demand for our tourism experiences into bookings.”

China is Queensland’s fastest growing international market and largest by visitor expenditure, with travellers spending $536 million in the state last financial year, an increase of 27 per cent on the year prior.

The Gold Coast is one of the most popular destinations in Australia for Chinese travellers, welcoming 184,000 Chinese visitors during the past financial year an increase of 30 per cent compared with the year prior.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said the Gold Coast’s successful bid to host the inaugural Corroboree Greater China trade event would bring frontline Aussie Specialist agents from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to the city in 2014.

“This is the first time Tourism Australia has ever held a Corroboree China event in Australia,” Mr McEvoy said.

“These Aussie Specialists are at the frontline, selling travel experiences directly to our consumers and it’s a fantastic opportunity for the Gold Coast to give them a taste of our world’s best tourism experiences in the Sunshine State.

“This will be the second opportunity for Queensland to woo the international tourism industry in 2014, with Cairns hosting the Australian Tourism Exchange in May.

“Tourism is the lifeblood of this State and it’s great to see Queensland hosting two of the country’s most prestigious trade events in the same year.”

Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter said Corroboree represented a timely opportunity to educate and motivate Chinese buyers on the wider and deeper experiences to be enjoyed on the Gold Coast.

“With the Chinese market growing exponentially in terms of visitor numbers, but also maturing towards greater quality and tailored touring options, Corroboree will allow us to showcase the best that the Gold Coast has to offer this dynamically evolving market.”

Corroboree Greater China 2014 will be held on the Gold Coast from 25 – 27 June 2014 as part of an agreement between event organiser Tourism Australia and Gold Coast Tourism with the support of the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.