Potential spillover effects of China's Belt and Road Initiative on Chinese tourism to Australia : a marketing perspective

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has recently attracted global attention. The aim of BRI is to enhance bonding relations between China and the Belt and Road (BR) countries in terms of socioeconomic cooperation through investment in the construction of basic infrastructure. A growing number of studies are undertaken to investigate the socioeconomic influence of BRI on the participating regions and its spillover effects on the rest of the world. Although Australia has not joined the BRI, it is surrounded by many BR countries in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. With increased tourism from China to these countries over the past few years, potential opportunities may arise for Australia's tourism sectors given its geographical proximity to the neighbouring BR countries. Based on existing literature and secondary statistics, this chapter examines how effects of BRI on the BR countries in Southeast Asia potentially spill over to the tourism industry of Australia. The chapter calls on Australian businesses and policy makers to think how BRI dynamics can be utilized to attract Chinese tourists to Australia.