Chinese outbound tourism to set new record over New Year

According to the latest data provided by Ctrip.com, one of the largest travel service websitesin China, the number of Chinese tourists going overseas during the Lunar New Year (orSpring Festival) holiday will reach 6 million, breaking the previous records.
"During the seven-day national holiday, Chinese tourists will cross more than 100 countriesand regions, with the South Pole being the farthest point," Ctrip.com said.
Based on statistics collected by major online travel agencies in the country, the most populardestinations for Spring Festival among Chinese visitors are Thailand, Japan, South Korea,China's Taiwan province, Singapore, the US, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.
Among all them, neighboring countries in Asia are enjoying increasing popularity amongChinese visitors. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is gradually regaining its appeal to tourists in themainland, with its current booking number ranking at No.2 among all places, based on dataprovided by LY.com, another domestic travel service website.
According to a new report released by LY.com, Chinese outbound tourists spent an averageof 5-6 days on their trips during the festival, accounting for 42.9 percentof their annual traveltime. Package tours are still preferred by many, with DIY trips account for just over 21percentof travel.
Meanwhile, the demand for products related to overseas travel is on the rise, such as Wifieggs, vehicle services and tickets. Chinese outbound visitors are spending more as well, withaverage expenses reaching more than 4,000 yuan ($609).
There are multiple reasons for the boost of outbound tourism. Relaxed visa policies, expanded international flight routes, and travel expense discounts and allowances given byonline travel agencies are all among the catalysts.
Full story