Distance running is fast becoming a popular activity in China, as domestic races are attracting an ever-increasing number of competitors. (Photo : Reuters)
After the news of the Japanese embassy's roaring trade in visas for Chinese travelers in January recently surfaced, the China National Tourism Administration has published data showing that it expects 5.19 million Chinese to travel abroad for the Spring Festival that is only a mere number of hours away now.
While Japan (which now offers an easier visa to Chinese tourists) South Korea and Southeast Asian countries are high on the list of favored destinations, as is usually the case, the numbers who will be visiting spots in Europe, North America and Australia will still make an impact in the statistical-data stakes.
The administration has also broken down the percentages for each of the stipulated locations. According to the body's data predictions, Chinese tourists will select the following locations as their 10 most-popular countries: South Korea (15.6 percent), Thailand (13.9 percent), Japan (8.7 percent), Australia (4.4 percent), Singapore (3.6 percent), Malaysia (2.9 percent), Indonesia (2.3 percent), the Philippines (2 percent), Italy (1.5 percent) and New Zealand (1.4 percent).
South Korea will appreciate finding itself in the top spot, as it announced an initiative in January to further boost its tourism revenues after the Korean sector hit a historic high of $18.1 billion last year.
The country's government is hoping to attract over $23.2 billion in investment through a plan jointly formulated by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other government agencies. Four major projects and two new resorts are central aspects of the Korean government's ambitious plan.
However, Chinese tour guides will need to be more careful and considerate when accompanying groups through South Korea, as the Korean Association of Travel Agents documented 104 cases of misleading information in 2014.
Chinese nationals form the vast majority of tour guides in South Korea due to the language barrier.
