The 2011 outlook for Chinese outbound travel is very positive. Looking ahead,China has the potential to develop into attractive outbound markets in the years to come. At present, China is the tenth-largest outbound market in the world, just behind Japan, but trailing major European countries and the USA, according to the report. By 2020, however, the number of Chinese outbound travellers could double. This would raise China within a decade to the top six outbound markets worldwide.

"China' s emergence as the new superpower will define the global economy as well as world tourism over the next 20 years," said Professor Haiyan Song, chair professor of tourism at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in the ITB World Travel Trends Report. He stressed that several key factors would drive a dramatic growth in Chinese outbound travel over the coming decade, including the emergence of a large middle class which could afford to travel abroad and changes in visa regulations.

At present most Chinese travel abroad in groups due to visa regulations (as well as for language and cultural reasons) but to Hong Kong, where no such rules apply, about 70-80% of trips are made individually.  "In the future if there are no visa restrictions for travel to Europe and America, then I' m sure the percentage of individual travellers will go up significantly,"  he commented.

Moreover, any strengthening of the Chinese currency, the renminbi, would increase purchasing power for outbound travel, he pointed out.