About the China Approved Destination Status (ADS) Scheme
The Australia-China tourism relationship
Who can register under the ADS Scheme?
Timeline and funding
Related documents
Related links
More information
About the China Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme
Approved Destination Status (ADS) is a bilateral tourism arrangement between the Chinese Government and a destination whereby Chinese tourists are permitted to undertake leisure travel in groups to that destination.
The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (RET) manages the Australian scheme in conjunction with Tourism Australia (TA) and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
Australia's China ADS scheme allows Australia to host group leisure tour groups from China and permits the Australian Government, through Tourism Australia, to promote Australia as a leisure travel destination in China.
The objectives of the ADS scheme arrangements are to:
- restore integrity, competition and fair trading to the operation of the ADS inbound market, especially in relations between operators and shops, and operators and tourists
- empower Chinese inbound tourists with knowledge and choice to exercise effective consumer power in the inbound market.
The Australian Government streamlined the administrative arrangements for the ADS scheme in 2010 with a range of reforms to ensure Chinese tourists receive a quality Australian tourism experience. Approved ADS inbound tour operators are required to comply with the ADS Code of Business Standards and Ethics (the Code) version 2 (see Related documents). The Code is backed by a compliance monitoring regime which includes various checks such as financial and random checks. Penalties for breaches of the Code may include suspension or revocation of an operator's ADS approval. See Related documents for the Guidance table for ADS suspension and revocation – Sanctions procedures.
An enhanced ADS Code of Business Standards and Ethics (Version 2) came into effect on 31 October 2012. The Code is available (see Related documents below) for inbound tour operators to view and become familiar with.
The China ADS scheme underpins the growing Chinese inbound tourism market.
The Australia-China tourism relationship
In 2012, Australia welcomed over half a million Chinese visitors. In 2011-12 there was substantial growth in the China market, both in terms of arrivals (up 16.7 per cent) and expenditure (up 9.1 per cent to $3.8 billion). Further growth is expected, with the Tourism Forecasting Committee forecasting that arrivals from China will grow by 7.6 per cent per year, on average, to reach 1,039,000 arrivals by 2020-21.
Australia was one of the first western countries (along with New Zealand) to be granted ADS status in 1999, and has since hosted over 897,000 Chinese tourists undertaking leisure travel in tour groups.
Currently Australia is one of over 140 countries with ADS status. China is Australia's fastest-growing inbound tourism market and the bulk of leisure groups that travel to Australia from China will travel under the ADS scheme. During 2011–12 there were over 137,000 Chinese visitors under the ADS scheme.
For more information about the place of ADS in the Australia-China tourism relationship, refer to A Tourism Success Story (see Related documents).
Australia and China's commitment to fostering the growth of sustainable and quality tourism was reinforced through the signing, in August 2006, of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Australian Government and the China National Tourism Administration on the ADS scheme. This commitment was reaffirmed through the signing, in Beijing on 26 April 2011, of a broader Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation.
Who can register under the ADS scheme?
Appropriately qualified tourism businesses can apply to be registered as approved inbound tour operators under the ADS scheme.
The ADS scheme currently has 60 approved Inbound Tour Operators as at 12 March 2013. A list of these operators is available (see Related documents).
A copy of approved Outbound Tour Operators is available on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) website.
Timeline and funding
In 2009/10 the ADS scheme was evaluated by KPMG to assess its effectiveness, appropriateness and efficiency. KPMG found a need for the scheme to continue. The executive summary for the evaluation is available (see Related documents).
The Australian Government provided $4.1 million in the 2010–11 Budget to extend the China ADS Scheme for a further four years to 30 June 2014.
Related documents
| Title | PDF | Others |
|---|
| ADS Code of Business Standards and Ethics (Version 2) ENGLISH |  [PDF 1.8MB] | |
| ADS Code of Business Standards and Ethics (Version 2) CHINESE | [PDF 1.1MB] | |
| Approved Inbound Tour Operators—March 2013 | [PDF 151KB] |  [DOC 106KB] |
| A Tourism Success Story | [PDF 28KB] | |
| 26th Edition ADS newsletter—April 2013 | [PDF 1.4MB] |  [DOC 2.4MB] |
| Travelling in Australia under the China ADS scheme (English)—for consumers | [PDF 399KB] | |
| Travelling in Australia under the China ADS scheme (simplified Chinese)—for consumers | [PDF 470KB] | |
| Guidance table for ADS suspension and revocation - Sanctions procedures | | [DOC 28KB] |
| China Approved Destination Status scheme—Evaluation Report 2009 | [PDF 456KB] | |
Related links
More information
For more information about the ADS scheme contact the ADS Executive Officer:
Phone: 1800 048 155
Email: ads@ret.gov.au
Mail: GPO Box 1564, Canberra ACT 2601