China and Australia finalized an airline deal that would make it easier for people to fly in and out of the two countries' major cities.

The said airline deal would allow Chinese and Australian airlines to fly an additional four thousand people every week via Sydney and other major gateways. By 2017, the number of people will increase to 7,000 people every week, reaching 33,500, according to reports.

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Trade Minister Andrew Robb explained that the new deal will increase the connectivity between China and Australia especially in the field of tourism. The airlines from the two countries will already be able to offer unlimited services in famous spots in China and ports in Australia such as Cairns, the Gold Coast, and Darwin.

Robb pointed out that China is their most "valuable tourism export market" since according to figures, there are about 100 million Chinese who travel internationally and 789,300 of them travel to Australia. The 100-million figure is expected to double in the next five years.

"(The agreement) will ensure we are well placed to capture our share of this growth," Robb adds.

Basically, Chinese make up the 20 percent of total incoming tourists in Australia.

According to Tourism Australia, Chinese tourists have added US$5.3 Billion to the economy of the country in the last ten months. The said figure is expected to increase to US$13 billion by the year 2020.

Aside from the trade deal, Australia also launched an online visa application trial beginning December last year to boost the number of tourists visiting the country.

TagsAustralia, airline deal, free trade deal