UK globetrotters returning from a visit to China have voted the country as the top destination out of the BRICS nations.
The international organisation, made of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, comprises of the top emerging economies in the world, with China being singled out by the World Travel Market (WTM) 2011 Industry Report.
Among the 1,006 UK holidaymakers surveyed, 46 per cent said they were interested in visiting China, while a further eight per cent claimed they had already visited.
Additionally, over 1,000 senior executives of businesses in the tourism industry highlighted China as the most important country for their company.
The professionals said that the country’s natural beauty, booming economy and the availability of direct flights were key reasons for the China’s tourism success.
World Travel & Tourism Council figures show that China is the world’s largest market for outbound tourists as well, spending around 455 billion abroad in 2010.
Furthermore, the country received 56 million international tourists over the same 12-month period, netting the region $46 billion in revenue.
WTM announced that it plans to expand its Vision Conference into both Shanghai and Moscow next May, following the increased popularity for the destinations registered in the surveys.
“China is an obvious destination for the WTM Vision series, as it is already one of the most important outbound and inbound tourism markets,” commented Fiona Jeffery, chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions.
The China Tourism Academy recently announced that the emerging superpower has seen a spike in domestic tourism during the first nine months of 2011.
Over the first three quarters the total number of trips in and out of China is expected to be 2.08 billion, a growth of 12 per cent year-on-year.
Foreigner satisfaction after visiting the country was also registered as improved on the domestic travellers’ index.
“In the third quarter, the comprehensive tourists’ satisfaction index is 80.48, which means ‘satisfied’,” the group explained.