Jin Qiuyue, an advertising company employee, is planning a trip to Australia. She says, "My husband and I intend to spend each Spring Festival vacation in a different country from now on."

China has introduced travel reforms to simplify procedures for those wanting to travel abroad, e.g letters of invitation are no longer necessary.

Outbound Travels Booming

According to statistics, over 10 million Chinese citizens have traveled overseas annually since 2000.

"So far over 5,000 people registered with our travel agency, are planning to spend their holidays abroad. The most popular route is to Southeast Asia, where prices are competitive and the market is mature. The number of tourists going to Australia and New Zealand is also on the rise," says Dun Jidong, an official with the China Travel Service.

Traveling Abroad Profitable for Some Industries

"In recent years, many Chinese have spent Spring Festival in Australia, so that the seven-day vacation has become a profitable week for Aussie business people," says May Tang, the Australian Tourist Commission China manager and chief representative.

Traveling abroad during the Spring Festival has also been profitable for China's civil aviation industry and tickets to popular destinations are almost booked out.

(People's Daily February 4, 2002)