• Trade event attracts record number of delegates from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
• Chinese visitors highest source of international visitor spending 

Key tourism trade partners from China, Hong Kong, and, for the first time, Taiwan, have gathered in Perth for Ni Hao WA 2018.

The event is hosted by the State Government, through Tourism Western Australia, and includes workshops, business meetings and familiarisation tours of WA's regions to ensure visiting agents get a first-hand experience of what the State has to offer.

The fifth annual Ni Hao (Chinese for 'hello') WA is the biggest to date with a record number of buyers including 25 from China, nine from Hong Kong and four from Taiwan, as well as Chinese trade media.

A total of 50 delegates from 41 WA tourism businesses are also attending Ni Hao WA 2018.

In a few short years, China has emerged as a key priority market for WA with the number of Chinese visiting the State, rising to 58,600 in the year ending December 2017, a 14.2 per cent increase on the previous year.

China has become Western Australia's highest source of international visitor spending, contributing $291 million to the economy in the year ending December 2017, a 15.5 per cent increase on the previous year. Leisure visitors, in particular, spent $102 million while in WA, representing an increase of 25.1 per cent from 2016.

Hong Kong remains an important source market for WA with more than 24,000 visitors contributing $83 million to the economy, a rise of 9.2 per cent from the previous year.