More mainland tourists are expected to spend money on overseas travel this year, said a report by a think tank to the national tourism authority.

The Annual Report of China Outbound Tourism Development 2009-2010, released by the China Tourism Academy, estimated that 54 million tourists would go abroad this year, up from 47 million in 2009.

They are expected to spend 48 billion yuan (US$6.86 billion) overseas, up 14 percent from a year earlier, the report said.

"The outbound travel market of the Chinese mainland will remain brisk this year, continuing to contribute to the recovery of the world economy and helping to offset China's trade surplus," said Jiang Yiyi, director of the academy's international tourism development institute.

The academy, which interviewed 2,600 tourists in major cities in January, found the demographics of this market are people aged between 25 and 44, with high incomes and educational backgrounds.

While more than half of them said shopping is their biggest expenditure, the survey found mainland tourists tend to give a low score when asked to rate their satisfaction over shopping and the service of travel agencies.

China is now the biggest tourist market in Asia, with 100 million people forecast to travel overseas by 2015. Spotting the huge market potential, countries have increasingly started to do what they can to lure more tourists.