Chinese tourists flock to Victoria

Chinese tourists are flocking to Victoria in larger numbers than any other nationality, and they are travelling far and wide - not just to Melbourne.

According to the annual Tourism Victoria report released on Thursday, Victoria attracted 2.1 million international visitors in 2014, an increase of 8.9 per cent on the year before.

Out of those, nearly 400,000 were from China, a jump of 21 per cent from 2013.

The report revealed that regional Victoria has grown more appealing to Eastern and Western tourists, with nearly 36 per cent more Asian visitors choosing to stay overnight in rural parts of the state last year than in 2013.

Chinese visitors were Victoria's biggest spenders, contributing $1.4 billion to the economy - more than a quarter of all international visitor expenditure in Victoria.