More Chinese choosing to vacation overseas

China's overseas tourism market is continuing to grow, with 122 million overseas trips made by Chinese tourists last year, according to a new survey.

That's an increase of 4.3 percent year-on-year, the Annual Development Report of China's Tourism 2017 showed. Spending was also up 5.1 percent on 2015 levels to $109.8 billion.

The top 10 destinations for Chinese tourists heading overseas last year were Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, the United States, Singapore and Malaysia, said the report, which was released by the China Tourism Academy in Beijing on Friday.

It also said the number of trips made to countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative had grown, with at least 50 million trips made to these destinations last year.

According to the report, the majority of Chinese tourists heading overseas have middle to high incomes, with three-fourths spending between 5,000 to 20,000 yuan ($760-3,040) on their travels. They prefer medium-priced or budget hotels and tend to choose self-planned, customized vacations, it said.

Jiang Yiyi, director of the academy's international department who participated in the report's compilation, said a strong economy, more supportive policies and mature tourism facilities will help nurture the growth and diversification of Chinese tourists' overseas travel in future.