China’s outbound tourists surpass 37 mln in five months
Beijing – The number of outbound tourists leaving China reached 37.92 million in the first five months this year, up 17.3 percent compared with the same period in 2012, according to China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) statistics.However, the number of overnight inbound tourists dropped, the administration said.
Inbound overnight visitors reached 22.93 million between January and May, down 4.06 percent over the same period last year.
Domestic travelers reached 998 million in the first quarter, up 14.1 percent, with domestic travel revenue standing at 765.7 billion yuan (123.92 billion U.S.dollars), up 18.4 percent, according to the administration.
In the second half of this year, China will further promote key markets and foster potential ones to develop its inbound traveling sector, said Zhu Shanzhong, deputy director of the CNTA.China has the world’s largest domestic tourism market and outbound Chinese tourists are the biggest spenders worldwide.
China is widely anticipated to overtake Germany and United States to become the world’s biggest source of outbound travelers by the end of this year, an industry insider said .
The China Tourism Academy put the final figures at approximately 70 million overseas trips made by Chinese mainlanders in 2011, an increase of more than 20 percent from the 57.4 million trips taken in 2010.
This year, it is predicted that about 78 million Chinese will travel overseas, and the consumption generated from outbound tourism will hit a record high of 80 billion US dollars.
Several factors have contributed to the growth, including the expansion of China’s middle class, increasing support from the Chinese government, the relaxation of visa application procedures and the appreciation of China’s currency. – Xinhua
