According to the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), up from 70 million in 2011 and 57.4 million in 2010 and it should come as no surprise that wealthier and middle-class Chinese are becoming big on travel, with trips by Chinese outbound tourists expected to grow to 80 million trips this year.

A growing number of the more adventurous (or more seasoned) are seeking to escape the whir of urban life in pursuit of a different travel experience, from experiential tourism to eco-tourism and even wine tourism. But for others, to the list, tourism for health or medical reasons is a growing trend, while the rising popularity of therapeutic travel — absent many of the logistical kinks seen in medical tourism — is offering areas of natural beauty a huge opportunity.

But China’s tourists are venturing much further afield in the hopes of winding down. China has become the Maldives’s largest source of tourism, while Malaysia, Thailand, Bali and Singapore have been working to position themselves as hot spots for therapeutic travel.  Last year, Thailand’s Phuket, Koh Samui and Krabi lured around 1.4 million Chinese tourists preferring a “back-to-nature” experience to a sanitized five-star “experience.” Often, packages in Thailand and Malaysia combine therapeutic tourism with medical tourism, looking to attract more middle-aged Chinese travelers.

Earlier this month, Tourism Australia launched their US$250 million global campaign, “There’s Nothing Like Australia” in China. Recognizing China as “Australia’s fastest-growing and most valuable overseas tourism market,” Tourism Australia’s Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said at the launch that “China was the logical location to launch the new creative,” noting that Australia ranks as one of China’s top travel preferences.

" China now represents both our fastest growing and most valuable international inbound tourism market.” McEvoy added, ,by decade’s end, China could account for around 900,000 annual visitors to Australia, contributing around AU$9 billion per year to the local economy. Unlike France and Britain, countries that promote their shopping and spending options and sightseeing and cultural options roughly evenly, Australia’s new campaign is focused mainly on natural beauty, environment and space — three things increasingly scarce in urban China.