CANBERRA -- The interest of Chinese tourists in traveling to Australia continues to grow strongly with the latest Overseas Arrivals and Departures figures, Minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson said on Tuesday.

The latest figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the effects of Tourism Australia's There is Nothing Like Australia campaign on Asian visitor numbers.

The first quarter of this financial year saw arrivals from China continue to grow at record levels, up 17.2 percent driven by growth in July (up 11.9 percent), August (up 16.6 percent), and September (up 26.5 percent).