Chinese tourists from Beijing participate in a snowball fight in front of the White House, Feb. 17, 2015, in Washington, DC. (Photo : Getty Images)
Despite being the biggest source of foreign tourists in the world, China outbound tourism statistics indicate that Chinese tourism has yet to reach maturity, according to a new report.
The study, which was compiled by the China Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, estimates that the number of Chinese travelers going abroad increased by less than 10 percent in 2016, the second year under the mark of 10 percent following years of rapid expansion in the sector.
Although the country has shown huge potential in the overseas travel market, the report suggests that outbound tourism is at a fledgling stage, with those traveling abroad only a small fraction of the country's population and the domestic travel industry is far from mature.
The report added that Chinese outbound travelers should better understand the local cultures of their foreign destinations as their image as a whole needs to be improved.
News of Chinese tourists behaving badly abroad have widely circulated in international media in recent years, forcing the government to issue a travel "blacklist" that imposed stiff penalties against offenders.
But despite their bad behavior, more and more countries are opening their doors to Chinese visitors. According to the National Tourism Administration, 151 countries and regions are open to Chinese travelers, with 57 having preferential visa policies. As a result, 122 million Chinese have traveled in 2016, making China the largest country in terms of outbound travel.
Among the top 10 foreign destinations for Chinese tourists in 2016 were Thailand, Japan, South Korea, France, Italy, Indonesia, Switzerland, the U.S., Germany and Australia, according to Tuniu, a popular Chinese travel website.
The report also noted that China's inbound tourism has regained its momentum in recent years. In 2016, the number of foreigners traveling to China was estimated to have grown by around 4 percent to 138 million, partly due to visa-free and tax refund policies as well as the depreciation of the yuan.
