Tourism Australia and China Southern Airlines have announced a new partnership agreement to help realize the potential of travel between China and Australia.

The strategic partnership agreement covers three areas: quarterly strategic development reviews; cooperative marketing programs to identify target audiences; and access to both partner's client and brand assets to maximize marketing effectiveness by leveraging the power of both brands.

Tourism Australia's managing director, Andrew McEvoy, said that China continues to be a key growth market for Australian tourism. He added that China has been an engine room of growth for Australian tourism since Australia became the first western destination to be granted Approved Destination Status, enabling Chinese group leisure travelers to easily access travel to Australia.

Speaking about the partnership, the president of China Southern Airlines, Tan Wangeng said that Guangzhou, where China Southern Airlines is headquartered, is the southern gateway of China to the outside world and it enjoys a natural geographical advantage of convenient connections to Oceania.