The number of outbound tourists from mainland China has surpassed 100 million in a calendar year for the first time.
According to the China National Tourism Administration, the record was reached at the end of last month, with the vast majority traveling short haul within Asia.
It said almost 90% of journeys were to Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other Asian countries.
“It is a landmark for the development of China’s tourism industry,” said administration official Zhang Jilin.
“In 1998, we had only 8.4 million outbound tourists, and now we have surpassed 100 million.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently stated Chinese outbound tourists will likely surpass 500 million in the next five years.
“The destinations that attracted more than one million Chinese mainland tourists each this year are South Korea, Thailand, Japan, the United States, Vietnam and Singapore,” said Li Shihong, head of marketing at the CNTA.
