The newly installed chief executive of Tourism and Events Queensland has led a trade mission to China to bring back the Chinese tourists who flocked to Queensland before Covid.

The trade mission comes at an interesting time in Australia-China relations and follows trade bans on a long list of commodities, including coal, and then the thaw following the federal election which ousted the Morrison Government, which had been critical of China on a host of subjects.

China was Queensland’s number one tourism market and remains a missing piece in the resurgence of the sector which is only now starting to see international tourists return, but is not expected to reach pre-Covid levels until 2025.

O’Callaghan said China’s tourists contributed $1.67 billion to the economy before Covid. They come to Queensland for reasons other than laying on the beach and research has revealed the attractions were more likely to be nature and event based.

Last month O’Callaghan’s Tourism and Events Queensland launched the “Good to Go” campaign in China and was working with airlines and trade groups to remind Chinese travellers of why they flocked to the state before Covid.

“We’ve been engaging with the travel trade informing them of all the new developments across Queensland, but reminding them that what they loved still exists,” O’Callaghan said.

“The message is we are open for business and can’t wait to see our Chinese visitors come back to our shores.”

Queensland’s tourism sector has been feasting on a resurgence in domestic visitors. Recent tourism data showed Queensland remained Australia’s favourite holiday destination, with holiday overnight visitor expenditure reaching a record $14.6 billion of the total $30 billion in 2022.

The trade mission, which included delegates from the State Government, airports and regional tourism organisations, visited Shanghai and Guangzhou.