Following a Ministerial tour of China last month, four travel agents from Hong Kong and Southern China are visiting the NT this week to experience the Territory so they can sell the destination to Chinese travellers.

The travel agents are Ms So Hing Yu from Hong Kong Charming Travel, Ms Cheuk Yan Hung - Hong Kong Wing On Travel, Ms Yu Ting Wang - Operation Manager, Guangdong BCTS Travel Services, Ms An Li Shi - Marketing Manager, Guangdong BCTS Travel Services.

The agents are accompanied by the Territory’s representative in China, Mr John Xu, were greeted by Tourism Minister Malarndirri McCarthy today at Parliament House before being formally introduced by Madam Speaker as guests to the Parliament during question time.

“It is an absolute pleasure to welcome our visitors from Hong Kong and Southern China to the Northern Territory, and for them to see and experience all that our spectacular country has to offer,” said Ms McCarthy.

“The visiting travel agents have been chosen for their proven ability to sell holidays to Australia.

“Their seven day visit to Kakadu, Uluru and Darwin includes a scenic flight, river cruises, crocodile viewing, fish feeding, cultural tours and the amazing Sounds of Silence dining experience.

‘Developing key partnerships and directly engaging travel agents, wholesalers and operators in China in is one way the Territory Government is working to increase our presence in China.

“The Territory Government is also running training seminars and workshops for travel agents in China and conducting a range of media activities to spread the word about the unique experiences we offer here,” Minister McCarthy said.

This week the The Territory Government is also supporting a familiarisation tour in Central Australia for five of China’s famous online bloggers and an online editor from Travel.Sina.com.cn.

The bloggers will experience Alice Springs, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, Rainbow Valley Walking Tracks, Liru Walk, aboriginal art and indigenous cultural tours.

China is now Australia’s fourth largest and most valuable inbound source market, worth $3.26billion a year. The NT’s market share of visitors to Australia from China is approximately 1%, or around 4,000 visitors each year. This number is expected to double over the next 10 years to 8,000 visitors.