China is expected to reclaim the top spot in Australia's international tourism industry "in the very near future," chief of the Australian government's tourism promoting agency has said.

"We certainly know that Australia has a lot to offer Chinese travelers and our industry and the Australian public love to welcome Chinese guests to Australia," Phillipa Harrison, managing director of Tourism Australia, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

In 2019, China was already the top market in Australia's international tourism sector, with 1.4 million Chinese tourists visiting Australia each year, Harrison said, adding that the number of Chinese tourists has increased month by month and returned to about 45 percent of pre-pandemic levels in November last year.

Tourism Australia has a very long-term view with China and has been there for more than 20 years, Harrison said. "It is a very important market for us. We're working very hard on re-growing our numbers."

Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen

Editor Ⅱ: Wu Dan

Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong