China's outbound travelers reached 15.99 million in the first seven months of 2004, a 63.7 percent increase from the same period last year, according to statistics from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) released on Thursday.

China is on its way to becoming one of the world's most powerful tourism nations, He Guangwei, CNTA director said. In 2003, the amount of Chinese overseas travelers surpassed Japan, making it the largest in Asia.

Overseas sightseeing was only dream for most Chinese before the middle of the 1980s when travel agencies offering international trips for individuals did not even exist. In 1988, with the exception of Hong Kong and Macao, Thailand was the only tourist destination that Chinese citizens could visit.

In 2003, China's average GDP per capita surpassed US$1,000 for the first time, and the total foreign currency savings of Chinese residents topped US$90 billion. These conditions stimulated overseas travels by Chinese, expert said.

The potential market of Chinese travelers abroad has aroused world attention. Many countries hope to become tourist destinations, a hot topic at Chinese diplomatic meetings.

At present, 73 countries and regions become tourism destinations for Chinese citizens, official statistics said.

According to the World Tourism Organization, China is among the top 10 nations in terms of outbound tourism. From 1994 to 2003, the total number of outbound Chinese tourists reached nearly 100 million, at an annual growth rate of 13.87 percent.

From January to July, China hosted 61 million inbound travelers gaining US$12.7 billion foreign currency, up 24 percent and 45 percent respectively.

Expert said China has become the world's biggest domestic tourism market and the fastest growing tourism source.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2004)