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.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2007)