The Australian government has formally started granting 10-year multi-entry tourist visas to Chinese visitors, the Embassy of China in Australia announced on Saturday, November 19.
This new visa initiative was first announced in June 2015, with Australian officials highlighting it as a reform, which is considered pivotal to the country's infrastructure modernization and future business development.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that Chinese tourists are playing a vital role in helping Australia hit its tourism targets of doubling overnight visitor expenditure from USD 52 billion in 2009 to USD 85-105 billion by 2020.
According to official figures, China is now Australia's most valuable tourism market, contributing RMB 25.5 billion to the Australian economy with over one million visitors in 2015.
Besides Australia, the United States, Canada and Singapore also have similar 10-year visa programs for Chinese nationals.
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