Many Chinese tourists travel to South Korea. (Photo : www.cbc.ca)
According to a new report by the China Tourism Academy, China has been the biggest source of outbound travelers in the world for the last three years, with about 107 million people making outbound trips last year.
The number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad exceeded 100 million for the first time last year, after consistently climbing 19.5 percent per year for the last few years.
The report also expects travelers from western regions, second and third-tier cities and rural areas to increase. However, the report did not make any specific estimates.
The most popular tourist destination for Chinese travelers last year was South Korea, followed by Thailand, Japan, the United States and Vietnam.
Hong Kong and Macao are also major travel destinations for mainland Chinese tourists, according to Dai Bin, head of the academy, which is a think tank under the National Tourism Administration.
"Despite the growth in the number of travelers, only about 5 percent of the Chinese population hold passports, and most tourists only undertake short-distance trips. Overseas travel has not yet become a national trend," said Dai.
According to the report, part of the Chinese tourism market has been driven by other countries having tourism policies that favor Chinese travelers. Many countries have implemented visa exemptions or visa-on-arrival policies for Chinese tourists, with more countries planning to introduce them in the foreseeable future.
Additionally, UnionPay credit card, a popular bank card organization in China, has become widely accepted in other countries, allowing Chinese tourists to have an easier time making purchases abroad. This has significantly increased satisfaction levels among Chinese travelers.
Among the travelers, more than 40 percent spent more than 15,000 yuan ($2,340) abroad, with an average of 88 percent of travelers' expenditure shopping-related.
