BEIJING, Jan, 27 (Xinhua) -- China has so far
approved 132 countries and regions as destinations for outbound tourism, with 86
receiving Chinese tourist groups, said the China National Tourism
Administration.
Fifteen new destinations were approved last year,
said the administration.
The increase of outbound tourist destinations has
played an active role in promoting the country's bilateral and multilateral
relations with other countries and regions, said the administration.
Statistics show China remains Asia's largest source
of outbound tourism, with 34 million Chinese tourists traveling abroad last
year, up 10 percent year on year.
Insiders say East and South Asia account for more
than half of the country's outbound tourist market, with Japan and Republic of
Korea taking up about 30 percent of the total.
Europe, Australia and South America have a market
share of around 20 percent.
Meanwhile, the United States and Taiwan island, which
are considered to have great appeals to Chinese mainland tourists, have yet to
gain the Approved Destination Status from the mainland authorities.
China will further expand tourist exchanges with
foreign countries, said the administration.
The country received more than 22.21 million inbound
travelers from foreign countries last year, up 9.65 percent on 2005.
Related story: 26 African nations approved as tourist
destinations
BEIJING, Nov. 8 -- China now grants tourist destination
status to 26 African countries, according to an action plan endorsed by Chinese
and African leaders during the just-concluded Beijing summit.
"With the new decision of the Chinese government to
extend the Approved Destination Status (ADS) to nine African countries including
Algeria, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Gabon, Rwanda, Mali, Mozambique, Benin and
Nigeria, there are now 26 ADS countries in Africa," says the document adopted at
the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation.full
story>>
