China Expected to Become Biggest Source of Outbound Tourists

China is expected to overtake both Germany and the USA to become the

strIal Waw toto ucrrlhids m’s nbuym thbe e re nodn eo f s o thui r sc ey emara， ra kcec to r f d or ing to a press conference at the 8th China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market (COTTM) held in Beijing during April 18 to 19.

“It is a truly remarkable achievement and well ahead of earlier predictions，” said Matt Thompson， project director for the China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market.

For the last few years， China has been leading this growing trend and the latest figures confirm the dramatic rise of China as a source for outbound tourism. Figures from the China Tourism Academy (CTA) showed that Chinese people made approximately 70 million visits to other countries or regions in 2011， an increase of over 20 percent from the 57.4 million trips in 2010.

“Last year the Chinese tourists to our country doubled，” said Stephanie Lablache， marketing executive of Seychelles Tourism Board.

This year， it is predicted that about 78 million Chinese travelers will travel overseas， and the consumption generated from outbound tourism will hit a record high of US$80 billion.

“The outbound tourism trend is positive as the growth is much quicker in China. Not only is the number of tourists increasing， but the money they spend overseas is also expanding，” Matt Thompson told China’s Foreign Trade， adding that “Today Chinese tourists want to visit new destinations， such as Africa and South America.”

“Previously our focus was only on inbound tourism. Since 2007， we have been engaged in outbound tourism as the Chinese market is soaring，”said Philip Wenzel Kyhl， business development manager of Beijing Albatros Travel Service Co.， Ltd.

“We are here for the third time to promote Venezuela with abundant beautiful destinations to Chinese travelers. In the near future we hope to establish a travel agency in China，” said Larry Esparragoza， commercial manager of Venezolana de Turismo S.A.， a leading tourist operator in Venezuela.

According to Matt Thompson， several reasons contribute to the robust growth of China’s outbound tourism， including “the expansion of China’s middle classes who are becoming wealthier， increasing support from the Chinese government for the industry， relaxation of visa application procedures， and favorable exchange rates.”

Foreign countries are also making efforts to facilitate the growing Chinese tourists. The United Kingdom is reviewing its visa policies to make it easier for the Chinese tourists to travel to the country as part of a worldwide marketing campaign to encourage tourists， business leaders and students to come to Britain， Xinhua reported.

The COTTM remains the only business to business event in China that focuses on outbound travel. This year it is the largest in the event’s eight year’s history， welcoming over 275 international companies from over 60 countries. New pavilions from Armenia， Cameroon， Ecuador， Montenegro and Serbia made their debut.