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The volume of tourists flocking out of China is rising by about 15-20 percent a year - 13 years after China liberalised outbound travel.

With close to 1.3 billion citizens, around two percent of who travel internationally each year, the Chinese tourist is exerting a powerful influence, fueled by increasingly liberalised visa laws and higher consumer spending, according to a report by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

In April 2004, China FIT bookings rose 372 percent on April 2003 and in May 2004 a massive jump of 612 percent on the same period last year.

China's Golden Week in May, saw more than 90 million travellers mobilised and was the single biggest factor in the May growth.

This growth will continue as Chinese authorities gave preliminary approval to the country's second and third private airlines in a move to boost service and competitiveness, the report said.
China continues to drive Asia's travel growth, said Don Birch, Abacus president and CEO.

Departures from China exceeded 20 million for the first time in 2003, making it the new leading outbound market in the region.

The majority of these were overland day trips to Hong Kong and Macau. Asian destinations such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and South Korea continue to benefit most.