Tennis Australia is Using Image of Li to Promote Tourism
© “DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”
Tennis Australia has selected the image of China’s champion Li Na and is using the French Open winner and Melbourne finalist as a tourism lure. The tournament claims that half a million Chinese visited Australia in 2011 out of an estimated 35 million who left the country for travel.
Officials also claim a 30 percent rise in Open tickets sold in China but do not back up the percentages with actual figures. Around 600,000-plus fans are expected to attend the Open over the fortnight.
Li played the Melbourne final a year ago, losing to Kim Clijsters, then earned an historic major title for China five months later by winning the trophy on clay at Roland Garros.
Australian tourism officials in a country badly hit by an expensive dollar thanks to the resources boom in the west of the country – main customer: China – is also claiming a 400 percent increase in visitors form the Asia-Pacific region since 2004 and trying to pin that rise on the Li factor also.
The 29-year-old was not even on the tennis horizon seven years ago, and only played her first major in 2005, winning two rounds in Melbourne.
Tourism officials believe that Chinese visitors to Australian could reach one million in five years. Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific is said to have taken the interest of fair trade officials after advertising tickets for sale and adding a $5 surcharge.
© “DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”
Topics: Li Na, Tennis Australia
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