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.