SYDNEY -- Tourism Australia's push to accommodate China's valuable outbound MICE (Meetings Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions) market has reached a critical juncture with the arrival of 1,000 Chinese delegates on Sunday. During the five-day visit, they may determine Australia's MICE fortunes.

Arriving on the Gold Coast this weekend as part of Herbalife's Leadership Vacation 2012, the global nutrition company's top sellers will sample a five-day itinerary, of some of Australia's top incentive activities including a visit to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, golf on one of the 40 championship golf courses and team building on one of the Gold Coast's pristine stretches of coastline.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said the visit by the Chinese delegation was a great opportunity to demonstrate Australia's expertise in staging world-class business events.

"China is an important market for Australian tourism, offering future potential for both business and leisure travel thanks to the nation's rapid economic rise," Mr McEvoy said.

"We know business events visitors in particular are high yielding and critical to helping the industry achieve our Tourism 2020 goals, which includes doubling the overnight expenditure generated by business events visitors to Australia to $16 billion annually by the end of the decade.

"During their visit to the Gold Coast, we really want to ensure the Chinese delegation not only experience our world-class venues and meeting facilities and can-do attitude of our people industry, but also what makes Australia unique and special as a destination, " Mr McEvoy said.

Gold Coast Convention Bureau, a division of Gold Coast Tourism, won the rights for the city to host the Herbalife Leadership Vacation 2012 not only due to its close proximity to Asia, but also thanks to its sophisticated event facilities, beautiful natural environments and diverse range of activities for delegates to enjoy. Chosen as the host city for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Gold Coast is more than capable of providing an extraordinary experience for delegates.

"Winning the bid to host the Herbalife Leadership Vacation 2012 on the Gold Coast was a major achievement for the city, and provides an opportunity for us to showcase what we have to offer this important market," said Martin Winter, CEO Gold Coast Tourism.

"The Gold Coast boasts 55 kms of pristine beaches, world class entertainment, many shopping precincts and the largest collection of theme parks in the Southern Hemisphere. It's a vibrant, cosmopolitan city offering fantastic opportunities for business event visitors," Winter said.

A global leader in nutrition, weight-management and personal care products, Herbalife is available exclusively through dedicated independent distributors in more than 80 countries.

Jerry Li, President, Herbalife China said, "When choosing Australia for the Herbalife Leadership Vacation 2012, we were attracted by its world-renowned culture of fun; its people, natural beauty, and its proximity to China.

"The support provided by Tourism Australia and Gold Coast Convention Bureau in the organization of this event was second to none. They gave valuable assistance throughout the entire process, and customized an outstanding event for our group."

Gold Coast Convention Bureau has been working in partnership with Tourism Australia's Business Events Australia team to coordinate the visit.

The Herbalife Leadership Vacation 2012 concludes on 9 May 2013, with many delegates expected to explore more of Queensland and Australia before travelling home.

The number of Chinese visitors travelling to Australia for business events is growing. In the 12 months to February 2013, the number of Chinese delegates visiting Australia for a convention or conference grew by 11 per cent to 15,400 visitors, whilst 66,900 Chinese visitors arrived for the purpose of business.

Tourism Australia has been backed up by a 12.5 million Australian dollar tranche of the Federal government's "Asia Marketing Fund," dedicated to growing Asian footfalls during the 2013/2014 financial year.

The Asia Marketing Fund comes on top of Tourism Australia's overall budget for destination promotion across the world.

According to McEvoy, part of the second phase of funding will be used to "up the ante on business events in Australia".

"We will invest some of the money into doing what we do well in this business events sector. That means the usual trade shows, road shows, but more importantly, efforts to get planners to come to Australia. We will be doing familiarizations bigger and better. "

Tourism Australia's efforts to attract more Chinese leisure and business travellers will get a financial boost too.

McEvoy said, "We undertook last year our second-tier city strategy in China. We have been very active in 11 cities around Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. This year we've gone into Chengdu, Chongqing and Qingdao."

Tourism Australia has beefed up its Business Events Australia website (www.businessevents.australia.com) with an intensive library of business events case studies, that officials hope will encourage further MICE delegations out of China.

Cases include a wide variety of events and visitors, from the 51st Annual International Conference of the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts which took 623 attendees in Perth to the the 9th World Indigenous Women and Wellness Conference in Darwin which was attended by 560 delegates.

"We are using advocates to tell our story. We are letting other people tell our story because they will tell it almost more passionately and through different eyes," McEvoy said.