Benchmark
Crocodile Dundee-Era Hotels Fail to Impress Discerning Chinese Tourists
They'd rather go to Russia.
A tourist poses for photographs in front of the Sydney Opera House.
Photographer: Brendon Thorne/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Australia needs to step up the quality of its service and accommodation to cash in on a Chinese tourism bonanza, as latest data show it stuck well down global rankings of preferred destinations for visitors from China.
Australia was 17th among worldwide destinations for Chinese tourists on package holidays in the second quarter, lagging behind Russia in 13th place, Vietnam in seventh and leader Thailand, according to the China National Tourism Administration. The halcyon days of the 1980s and early 1990s -- a time when Australia's economy transitioned to services and the iconic Crocodile Dundee films lured Americans Down Under -- seem a distant memory.