International travel is becoming fashionable in China and more people are beginning to explore the outside world. Many countries are trying to attract Chinese tourists. Many foreigners, however, have a somewhat love-hate relationship with Chinese visitors. They love Chinese tourists’ high level of consumption, and the economic benefits it brings. However, Chinese visitors also have a reputation for uncivilized behavior.

A Chinese tourist poses next to waxwork models of football players in Frankfurt, Germany.

Latecomer in Outbound Tourism

Outbound tourism boomed in Western developed societies during the 1970s and 1980s as well as fast-growing Asian economies such as Japan and South Korea. In 1983, Chinese citizens were allowed to travel abroad at the invitation of their friends or relatives residing overseas.

New measures enacted in July 1997 further relaxed restrictions on outbound tourism, allowing Chinese people to travel around the world as international tourists.

But in the first few years, only wealthy Chinese could afford to travel abroad. Most outbound tourists were urban residents with high incomes, and two-thirds of them were from larger cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Since individual travel was not allowed, all tourists had to take part in tour groups organized by travel agencies.

Further, all overseas travels have to be approved by China’s National Tourism Administration, known as the ADS (Approved Destination Status). Before 2004, most approved destinations were countries and regions adjacent to China’s mainland such as South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Macao. These countries and regions remain top destinations for Chinese tourists today.

 Outbound Travel Frenzy

Outbound tourism soared since 2004 when 25 EU countries were approved as travel destinations. An agreement in 2008 allowed mainlanders to visit Taiwan. In the same year, the U.S., the world’s most visited country, was promoted as a tourist destination as well. China’s outbound tourism has witnessed a boom in the last decade as approved travel destinations have grown remarkably in number while the country’s rising economy has enabled more people to afford foreign travel.

In the meantime, red tape for travel abroad has been simplified. Chinese passports are becoming easier to get, and many countries and regions have eased visa restrictions to attract Chinese tourists. In the U.S., successive Secretaries of State and ambassadors to China have worked hard to streamline the visa application process, reducing the waiting period from over one month to a couple of days. The adjusted visa application process is part of a tourism spike in the U.S. The U.S. estimates that in 2014, the number of Chinese tourists visiting the U.S. will grow to over two million. The figure is expected to reach five million in two years.

According to the World Tourism Barometer released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on January 24, 2014, international tourist arrivals reached 1.087 billion in 2013, an increase of five percent, or 52 million, over the previous year. Statistics from China National Tourism Administration reveal that 97.3 million Chinese mainlanders went abroad in 2013, an increase of 17 percent or 14.12 million over 2012.   

Chinese administrative departments and global tourism organizations have revised their estimates of Chinese tourism several times. Five years ago, they predicted that the number of annual outbound Chinese travelers would reach 100 million by 2020; now, it is expected to reach that figure by 2014. According to forecasts, China will soon overtake Germany and the U.S. as the world’s biggest source of outbound tourism.