Chinese tourists visit Tokyo's Ginza district for shopping in August. Japan is the second-most popular overseas destination. (Photo provided to China Daily)
(ECNS) -- Chinese tourists stretched their traces around the world last year, with Asian cities remaining their prime destinations, according to a report released on Monday.
About 77.67 percent surveyed outbound travellers went to Asian countries, 32.07 percent headed to Europe, and 20.29 percent flied to America, according to the Market Research Report on Chinese Outbound Tourist Consumption (2014-2015), which was released by the Beijing-based World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF).
Among the Asian countries, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian nations were still the favorites. Seoul proved the hottest city, followed by Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Jeju Island, Singapore, Inchon, Kobe and Nara.
As to the hottest destinations outside Asia, the top 10 were Paris, London, Sydney, Los Angles, Rome, New York, Washington, San Francisco, Melbourne, and Venice.
The report also revealed that 37.17 percent of those surveyed had at least one outbound trip per year, while 36.86 percent took more. Moreover, as their experience increased, more outbound travellers expected customized and differentiated holidays.
Outbound tourists were generally among the country's high-income groups, according to the report. Their individual monthly incomes reached 12,224 yuan, while monthly household salaries hit 21,615 yuan. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong were the top sources of outbound tourists, followed by Tianjin, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province and Liaoning province.
As the world's biggest outbound tourism market, China saw its tourists spend $165 billion in 2014, growing by 28 percent year-on-year. Such consumption comprised 11 percent of international tourism revenues.
Zhang Hui, a director with WTCF, said the high cost and poor experience of inbound tourism, along with appreciation of yuan and depreciation of certain national currencies, contributed to the increase of outbound consumption. He also believed that with the recent depreciation of yuan, the number of outbound travellers would drop.
