Chinese tourists flocking to Queensland at rate of 700 a day SUMMER HOLIDAY: Chinese tourists - like Yan Xu, Katrina Sun and Eric Zheng, pictured at Surfers Paradise - are flocking to the Gold Coast. CASHED-UP Chinese tourists are flocking to Queensland at a rate of more than 700 a day, in a major boost to the State's economy. New figures released by Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey show although most overseas visitors to Queensland come from New Zealand, Chinese people spend more. In 2012, 261,000 Chinese tourists came to Queensland, spending an average $1800 each. In comparison, 408,000 New Zealanders visited, parting with an average $1276 while they were here. The number of US travellers also grew with 160,000 holidaying in Queensland last year, each of whom spent an average $1612. Ms Stuckey said the overall figures were an improvement on 2011. "Encouragingly, Japanese visitors to Queensland also increased, up seven per cent to 177,000," she said. These are the first signs of recovery from this market since Japan's natural disasters in 2011. Continental European travellers to Queensland increased by three per to 269,000, and the declines from the UK market over recent years stabilised with 192,000 visitors.