A record number of international tourists visited Canberra in the year to June with the Chinese leading the charge.

The latest Tourism Research Australia International Visitor Survey revealed Canberra's international tourist numbers cracked 200,000 for the first time, and the ACT recorded the highest growth rate of international visitors in Australia.

And while China remained the ACT's biggest source of international tourists (with a 38.6 per cent spike), visitor numbers from Singapore and New Zealand also jumped.

Chief minister Andrew Barr said the launch of direct international flights in three weeks would "make it even easier for tourists from these key countries to visit Canberra".

"I look forward to seeing our international visitor numbers and expenditure continue to grow when the first Singapore Airlines flight lands in Canberra on September 21," Mr Barr said.

The survey revealed tourists were also spending more in the capital, with $420 million spent by visitors to Canberra.

Canberra Business Chamber chief executive Robyn Hendry said Canberra businesses were already working to capitalise on international tourism numbers.

"That means considering language, it means considering flight times. We know some flights leave in the evening so what are we doing when people need to check out of their room earlier than their departure, what are we doing to advise them of their options that they have right through until the evening before their flight," Ms Hendry said.

"It means co-ordinating those activities and just ensuring we're really switched on to the needs of our visitors because if we don't do that of course, we'll know about it, not only through direct feedback from the guests, but we'll also know it through social media."

Kerstin Wallace, managing director of Hire-A-Guide, said her company will soon offer Chinese-language tour guides.

"We are preparing for the market [direct flights] will open up and we will have more capacity to service Chinese-Mandarin speaking markets. Our particular focus is the free traveller who organises their own tour guide and small groups," Ms Wallace said.

"Most of the Chinese tours are closed groups organised from China or Sydney or Melbourne and they bring their guides from there, they don't sub-contract and get specialists in from Canberra. We're expecting markets to open up that we haven't seen before."