China has so far approved 132 countries and regions as
destinations for outbound tourism, with 86 receiving Chinese
tourist groups, said the China National Tourism
Administration.??
Fifteen new destinations were approved last year, said the
administration.??
The increase of outbound tourist destinations has played an
active role in promoting the country's bilateral and multilateral
relations with other countries and regions, said the
administration.??
Statistics show China remains Asia's largest source of outbound
tourism, with 34 million Chinese tourists traveling abroad last
year, up 10 percent year on year.??
Insiders say East and South Asia account for more than half of
the country's outbound tourist market, with Japan and Republic of
Korea taking up about 30 percent of the
total.??
Europe, Australia and South America have a market share of
around 20 percent.??
Meanwhile, the United States and Taiwan Island, which are
considered to have great appeals to Chinese mainland tourists, have
yet to gain the Approved Destination Status from the mainland
authorities.??
China will further expand tourist exchanges with foreign
countries, said the administration.??
The country received more than 22.21 million inbound travelers
from foreign countries last year, up 9.65 percent on 2005.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2007)
