The number trips made by Chinese tourists visiting international destinations outside Greater China is forecast to rise by 10% next year to 86 million.
The calculation by the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute means that a total of 56% of Chinese outbound trips in 2018 will be made to destinations beyond the Greater China region of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
The total number of border crossings made by Chinese nationals in 2018 is projected to grow by 6.3% to 154 million, compared with 145 million expected this year.
“Given 2016 was the first year in which more Chinese outbound trips were made beyond Greater China than within it, Cotri’s forecast shows that this pattern is becoming firmly entrenched and ‘rest of the world’ destinations are still benefiting from double-digit growth in Chinese outbound arrival numbers,” a spokesman said.
Cotri’s latest market report also covers the global expansion of Chinese online payment services and a comparison of long-haul and short-haul Chinese outbound travellers.
The report includes a chapter dedicated to destination development in the western Mediterranean and island destinations, discussing the factors that have driven their rise to prominence in the Chinese outbound tourism market.