However, during the same period, international travellers spent 384.6 billion yuan in China, a mere 2.94-per-cent increase from a year earlier, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
On one hand, some foreign tourists are reluctant to come to China as a result of problems such as overcharging and cheating in services. On the other hand, some countries have relaxed their visa policies and have improved their services to attract more Chinese travellers, Economic Information Daily reported.
Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said earlier that outbound consumption reached 1.5 trillion yuan last year, of which, at least 700 billion to 800 billion yuan was spent on shopping.
Middle- and high-income groups accounted for a considerable proportion of the Chinese shoppers abroad, with their preference shifting from luxury brands and high-end products to high-quality, cost-effective goods suitable for daily consumption.
Easing travel restrictions, good services and attractive prices remain the key drivers of Chinese outbound tourism, the newspaper said.
Visa-free policy offers more convenience, an official at Ctrip, one of China’s leading online travel service providers, told the newspaper.
For example, Jeju Island in South Korea and the Indonesian resort island of Bali offer visa-free travel for Chinese. Thailand also introduced a six-month multiple-entry tourist visa for Chinese tourists.
According to Ctrip’s latest data, Thailand recorded the most visa applications in the first half of this year. Singapore and South |Korea ranked second and third respectively.
In addition, adding new flights brings down ticket prices and stimulates outbound tourism.
For example, 75 new direct flights were opened between China and the United States last year, up more than 30 per cent from 2014, according to Chinese online travel agency Qunar.
The number of travellers in China’s international aviation market rose to 50.07 million in 2014 from 31.92 million in 2010, according to data released by Industrial Securities. Among them, the number of Chinese travellers registered a 131-per-cent increase. In the future, Chinese outbound tourism is likely to continue to see positive trends.
Most Chinese have never been abroad, with only fewer than 10 per cent of them holding passports, Shi Yuduan, chief marketing officer of Ctrip’s tourism business, told the newspaper. This market still has big potential and will retain its growth trend for the long term.