Chinese tourists expenditure biggest rise

MELBOURNE - The number of Chinese visitors to Australia was increasing rapidly and their expenditure growth here last year was the biggest among foreign tourists, the local AAP news agency reported Wednesday.

According to the figure from Visa's Australian office, it seemed the strong Australian dollars didn't deter oversea visitors especially from China. In 2012, Visa data showed an 11.6 percent spending increase from Chinese visitors, which was more than twice of the runner-up, the Americans, with outlay rising 4.8 percent.

New Zealanders came third with an increase of 4.7 percent.

Tourism plays an important role in Australian economy and the growth came amid concerns over the high value of Australian dollars, AAP quoted Visa's local manager Vipin Kalra as saying.

According to the global payments technology company, overseas Visa card holders spent 4.8 billion Australian dollars last year in the country, increasing 0.3 percent compared to the previous year.

Both China and Australia now attach great importance to the personnel and economic exchanges. China's international bank card network UnionPay on Wednesday also begun an business expansion in Australia, launching partnerships with Commonwealth Bank, one of the biggest financial institutions in Australia.

Media reports said the expansion aims to help Chinese visitors and business more easily engage with Australian companies as trade flourishes between the two countries.