About 15.45 million Chinese from the mainland are expected to visit foreign destinations in the first half of this year amid booming outbound Asia-Pacific tourists, indicated a survey by credit card company Master Card International.

The prediction on a half-year basis indicates that more Chinese tourists will spend their holidays outside the homeland, as 28.85 million people traveled abroad last year.

Europe is the most favorite destination for Chinese on the mainland, which is followed by Australia and Hong Kong, according to the tourist survey, which is conducted every six month in 12 Asia-Pacific markets including Australia, China and Japan.

Tourist resorts within the Asia-Pacific region are also popular among Chinese, as 84 percent of the surveyed people chose them as their first outbound destinations, according to the survey.

"Traveling abroad has become a key part of the lives of the bourgeois in the Asia-Pacific," said Wang Yuehun, chief economic consultant with MasterCard's Asia-Pacific region.

About 70 percent of Chinese prefer cash than credit cards while traveling, but 58 percent have depended on the internationally accepted cards for consumption.

About 71 percent of Chinese tourists usually travel under arrangement of agencies, the survey showed.

(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2006)