Australia and New Zealand risk losing a global arms race for big-spending Chinese vacationers unless they improve their services and infrastructure, jeopardizing hopes that tourism will fill the economic hole left by the downturn in commodity prices.
While both countries are enjoying record numbers of tourists from China, industry executives warn they need to improve their Chinese language skills and offer better high-end hotels and transport infrastructure.
"We're number one in terms of where they want to go, but we're only number 15 in terms of where they actually go," Matt Bekier, the chief executive of casino operator Echo Entertainment, told an American Chamber of Commerce lunch in Sydney this month.