The Sunshine Coast is facing a huge boom in tourism from China.

Tourism Research Australia says that during the next 10 years, Chinese inbound tourism to Australia will grow by more than 17 per cent each year.

This contrasts with visits from New Zealand, which are expected to grow by more than 5 per cent on average.

The director of Tourism Research Australia, Dr Peter Robins, says the Sunshine Coast's strong educational, cultural and trade links with China will make the Sunshine Coast a prime destination for Chinese visitors.

"I'm sure it would be, in the past Chinese really weren't allowed to travel except for business and political purposes - it is okay for people to travel to Australia on holiday now and that's what's brought about the really fast expansion," he said.