Procedures Simplified for Outbound Travels

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.

More Tourist Destinations Open to China

By the end of 2000, China approved 17 countries and regions as outbound destinations for Chinese sightseers, after consultations with the target countries. They are Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, Nepal, Hong Kong and Macao.

In late 2001, another three countries, Germany, Egypt and Malta, were added to the destinations list, thanks to approval by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

Outbound Tourism Booming

Official statistics indicate that more than 10 million Chinese citizens visited other countries and regions last year, including 5.6 million people who traveled at their own expense.

China to Become Hottest Tourist Destination

The tourism industry has become an important driving force in the economy in 24 out of 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

From January to September, arrivals in China from other countries and regions grew 6 per cent over those in the same period of last year and the number of overseas tourists reached 65.77 million.

( People's Daily February 4, 2002)