Sunshine Coast. [Photo/fao.xm.gov.cn]
Sunshine Coast is, as its name might suggest, a coastal city by the Pacific Ocean in Southeast Queensland that enjoys year-long sunshine. It ranks among the 10 most important cities in Australia and is the third largest city in Queensland.
The city is dominated by tourism, retail and construction. Agriculture also plays an important role in the city's development. Strong efforts have been made to diversify the city's industries, namely in communication technologies, clean tech, culture and creativity, aviation, education and food.
Sunshine Coast has made efforts to foster entrepreneurship and innovative businesses. With the support of the Innovation Center at the University of Sunshine Coast, over 100 start-ups have been established, mainly in the IT, clean tech and culture and creativity industries.
The university is known as a "knowledge hub" and can potentially house over 6,000 entrepreneurs. Sippy Downs, the location of the university, was named the "Silicon Valley of Australia".
Sunshine Coast is also an important tourism city in Queensland thanks to over 50 kilometers of long beaches and numerous parks, zoos, ocean parks and ecological farms.
The city was combined with Maroochy Shire, Noosa Shire and Caloundra in 2008. In 1999, Xiamen became a sister city of Maroochy Shire. In 2011, the Xiamen Municipal People's Government and Sunshine Coast signed agreements and officially resumed their sister-city relationship.
The University of Sunshine Coast at night. [Photo/fao.xm.gov.cn]
A stunning costal view in Sunshine Coast. [Photo/fao.xm.gov.cn]
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
