China travel takes the world
China Outbound tourist total hits record 100 million!
HONG KONG, 15 January 2015: Outbound tourist departures from mainland China exceeded 100 million in in 2014, the China National Tourism Administration announced earlier this month.
"It is a landmark for the development of China's tourism industry," said administration official Zhang Jilin. "In 1998, we generated only 8,430,000 outbound tourists, and now we have surpassed 100 million.
Organisers of China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market, a major show in China, (14 to 16 April in Beijing), are quoting China’s robust growth in outbound tourism to rustle up more exhibitors.
Show now in its 11th year, the organisers claim the event brings together more than 3,000 travel buyers from China who work in leading outbound tour operators and travel agents.
Customers, among them many Chinese, try to grab a bargain at a perfume counter at Selfridges department store in London. ETER MACDIARMID/GETTY IMAGES