Millions spread their wings as overseas travel takes off

Some agencies offer tour trips to Antarctica.[Photo/CFP]

Although China's economic growth rate is slowing, residents' passion for outbound tourism has not been affected－in fact, they spend even more, some business insiders said.

"Almost all of our products during Spring Festival are fully booked, and there are rare vacancies in some short-haul products," said Ma Wenting, assistant to the general manager of Magic Travel, the high-end brand of Beijing Utour International Travel Service, a Shanghai-listed travel agency focusing on outbound tourism.

Magic Travel's top product is also the trip to Antarctica. The first group departed on Jan 19, and the agency plans five groups altogether for the festival.

The high-end tourism market has bright prospects, with China's tourists making 4 billion trips annually, said Dai Bin, head of China Tourism Academy.

Luxury tour products can lead the way in innovation, he said.

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