Melbourne has long been a popular destination among international visitors, providing great experiences through major events, food and wine, diverse multicultural communities, artistic and cultural experiences and scenic beauty.
In the year ending December 2019, 3.1 million international visitors visited Melbourne and contributed $8.8 billion to the Victorian economy.
China has been the leading source country of inbound visitors. Melbourne hosted 675,400 Chinese visitors in the same year and their total spend was $3.4 billion, accounting for 32.7% of total international expenditure.
In the City of Melbourne, we’re finding new ways to help Chinese visitors enjoy Melbourne through innovative initiatives. Some of these include:
City of Melbourne official WeChat account
We were the first Australian capital city to launch an official WeChat account.
‘Check-in Melbourne’ WeChat mini program
In 2019, we’re launching a WeChat mini program where visitors can ‘check in’ at 10 iconic Melbourne locations to receive a special memento of their trip.
Alipay cashless busking trial
In 2018, we led a successful trial to enable buskers to accept digital donations via Alipay (the world’s most popular mobile payment platform) and tap n go card payments.
Chinese mobile payment at Cooks’ Cottage
In response to Chinese visitors’ preference on mobile payment, we’re now expanding Alipay and WeChat Pay for purchases at Cooks Cottage and Fitzroy Gardens Visitor Centre.
New visitor retail
We’re partnering with key stakeholders to understand new retail trends, impacts of physical and digital disruptions on Melbourne’s retail sector and how we can continue to position our city as a leading shopping destination.