Growing numbers of international tourists from China's largest city, Shanghai, are spending more of their wealth abroad, a survey has shown.

The number of outbound Shanghai tourists has risen by 15 percent to 20 percent annually in recent years. Last year, 1.985 million people traveled abroad from Shanghai, according to the survey published on Monday by Shanghai Municipal Tourism Committee.

Outbound tourists took about 500 million U.S. dollars to their destination countries, the survey revealed.

Per capita spending stood at between 5,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan(US$1,250), while about 30 percent of tourists each spent 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, according to the survey.

Southeast Asian countries, Hong Kong and Macao attracted the majority of Shanghai's tourists, but the number going to Europe rose by 200 percent last year as more countries were opened to Chinese tourists.

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2006)