by Xinhua writer Xiong Wenyuan
MELBOURNE, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Michael Bocse was heading to China to serve as best man at a friend's wedding, with plans to hike in the mountains, sample Chinese food and ride high-speed trains.
He and his friends Charlotte and Harriet Fairbairn planned to attend the wedding of an Australian groom and a Chinese bride in Changzhou, in east China's Jiangsu Province, and go hiking in southwest China's Yunnan Province. All three were visiting China for the first time.
Speaking to Xinhua recently at Melbourne Airport, they said visa-free entry had made the arrangements easier, although they would have made the trip anyway.
Their plans reflect growing Australian interest in visiting China. Australian residents made about 744,000 short-term trips to the Chinese mainland in the 2025-26 financial year, up nearly 14 percent from a year earlier, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The increase outpaced the 3.7-percent rise in short-term overseas travel overall. The Chinese mainland moved from fifth to fourth among Australian residents' overseas destinations.
A representative of Air China's Melbourne office said the airline had expanded capacity on its Melbourne-Beijing route compared with a year earlier and was carrying more passengers, noting that local demand for business, study and leisure travel to China was also rising.
Holders of ordinary Australian passports can visit China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business and other eligible purposes.
Another first-time visitor, Aleksey Trivailo, was heading to Beijing to join family members already traveling in China. An aerospace student at Melbourne's RMIT University, he was looking forward to "getting a feel for the culture" and enjoying Peking duck.
He was also interested in China's aerospace development and the opportunities it might offer in his field.
A spokesperson for the government of Australia's Victoria state said China was one of its most significant international tourism markets, highlighting the cultural connections created by two-way travel.
"Travel helps foster mutual understanding and cultural exchange, while supporting the links that connect Victoria and China," the spokesperson told Xinhua in a written response.
For Australian businessman Sharon Benjamin, China was already a familiar destination.
"Every time I come, I see a big change," he said.
His business develops environmentally friendly household products in Australia and works with Chinese manufacturers on tooling and production. Its products include plates and cups made from recycled or compostable materials.
This time, he hoped to buy machinery in China and import it into Australia. He described China as a "champion in manufacturing" and said visa-free access made it easier to arrange short business trips.
Rhys Roberts, national president of the Australia China Business Council, told Xinhua in a written interview that the council was hearing from more members traveling to China, including some for the first time.
"Visa-free entry has made a real difference, especially for smaller businesses, because it takes cost and lead time out of the trip and makes a short exploratory visit an easy decision," he said.
Roberts said the scale and pace of China's market, and the expectations of its consumers, were hard to appreciate from a distance. He identified premium food and beverages, health and wellness, education and tourism as areas of opportunity for Australian businesses.
"Relationships in China are built in person, and there is no substitute for being in the room," he said. ■
