When it comes to travel, it's a woman's world

While it is a well-established trend that Chinese people are traveling the world in large numbers and visiting places previously unknown to many from the country, a new survey reveals that the majority of such travelers are women.

The study was based on data from more than 16,000 outbound travelers from 10 cities across the country in 2015.

In its latest report, released in September, China Tourism Academy, a government agency, says that women accounted for 61.4 percent of outbound tourists.

Among those surveyed, 37 percent were aged between 25 and 34, and 27 percent between 35 and 44. About 58 percent had monthly pretax salaries ranging from 3,000 yuan to 8,000 yuan ($450 to $1,200) .

The study says outbound travel is shifting from sightseeing to leisure activities, with some 86 percent of those surveyed citing shopping as the main expense during such trips.

Peng Liang, who is in charge of online travel agency Ctrip's vacation business, said that in the first half of 2016, women booked the travel agency's tour products a month in advance on average compared with men, who booked three weeks in advance. Ctrip is China's largest company in the sector.

The agency found that in the first six months of the year, 24 percent of its women customers were aged between 20 and 29; 23 percent were between 30 and 39; and 25 percent were older than 55. The women visited Japan and South Korea for leisure, France and Italy for places of historical interest, and islands in Southeast Asia for romantic getaways.

"I avoid group tours and love to chat with the locals and experience their lifestyles," says Li Jingjing, who works for a finance company in Beijing, adding that she is always keen to try local delicacies, tour cities on bikes and trains, and learn the customs of the countries before her visits.

The 28-year-old was planning a trip to Russia over the weeklong National Day holiday beginning on Oct 1. In 2012, on a visit to Japan, for which she spent around 15,000 yuan, Li says she met a young local couple, who told her that they liked watching Cantonese movies.

An office worker from Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province says she and her husband do not have the time to prepare for trips, so they mostly go in groups arranged by tour operators.

"We like heritage sites and there are many choices. But if we travel with our child or parents, we like leisure trips in developed countries," Peng Kun, 31, says.

Like many Chinese women, Peng looks after her family's finances. When planning a trip, she first picks several destinations and then discusses the options with her husband before making a final decision. They read books or watch videos to get to know more about the local culture before traveling.

For elderly travelers like 69-year-old Li Xinpei, such opportunities have only come post-retirement. Most people from her generation in China would agree. Li first learned about foreign countries while reading William Shakespeare's books in her youth. She was thrilled when she finally visited Verona in Italy, where Romeo and Juliet is set, in 2009.

"It's never too late to explore the world," Li says.

The Beijinger has since traveled to 36 countries with her husband.

Jiang Yiyi, director of international tourism research at the academy, said more Chinese women are traveling with their female friends than before. And with the increase in incomes among the country's women, they are mostly the ones deciding travel plans for their families.

But she urges women to take care of their safety while traveling.

xulin@chinadaily.com.cn