China has become Asia's top exporter of tourists and that's got the world's tourism, retail and banking circles rubbing their hands in glee.

According to the statistics from Global Refund Group, Chinese traveling outside of China spent on shopping alone an average of US$235 million a month making them as a whole the world's most prolific souvenir buyers.

Hoping to cash in on the Chinese spending spree, Europeans are planning to provide more ATM machines for Chinese bank card holders, said Gu Jian, general manager of Europe Express Company.

Chinese people typically spend less on accommodation and transportation but more on souvenirs, said Yang Yu, chief representative of Netherlands Board of Tourism and Convention in China.

It's a Chinese tradition to return home from a trip loaded with gifts for friends, family and even colleagues. "Chinese people buy gifts during their trips abroad no matter how rich or poor," said Dr. Ding Xuelin, a researcher on consumer behavior.

According to the Visit Britain Organization, Chinese travelers will spend 200 million pounds in the United Kingdom by around 2010 and 500 million pounds by 2020.

From Sept. 2004 to Sept. 2005, Chinese spent up to US$60 million in Germany. That was more than Italians, Australians and travelers from Britain.

The World Tourism Organization estimates that China will have more than 100 million outbound travelers in 15 years. The number of Chinese tourists have already surpassed Japan's, to become Asia's biggest nation of tourists.

In 2002, Chinese travelers were only allowed to exchange an equivalent of US$2,000 in foreign currency. Now, they can exchange as much as US$6,000.

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2005)