Number of Chinese outbound tourists to touch 157 million by 2020: Report

The number of Chinese tourists visiting abroad every year is expected to touch 157 million by 2020, the largest in the world, an official think tank said.

China's outbound tourism market is estimated to increase by five per cent annually on average in the coming years, bringing the number of outbound tourists to 157 million in 2020, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the China Tourism Academy, the think tank under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Many countries, including India, are wooing Chinese tourists. Over 144 million Chinese tourists travelled to different parts of the world last year with an estimated spending over USD 115 billion.

Since 2012, China has been the top spender in international tourism. From 2002 to 2013, the number of Chinese outbound tourists grew by double digits as a percentage each year, according to the UNWTO report.

In August, Tourism Minister K J Alphons toured different Chinese cities, held road shows and made strong pitch to increase inflow of Chinese tourists to India.