China's outbound tourism continued to surge this year, with the total number of overseas trips made by Chinese travelers growing 19.52 percent year on year in the first five months, a tourism official said Thursday.

Chinese tourists made 32.33 million trips overseas from January to May, said Zhu Shanzhong, deputy head of the National Tourism Administration.

"China's steady economic growth has contributed to the rapid development of the country's outbound tourism, which has become a stable source of growth for global tourism," Zhu said.

He called for greater protections for the safety and rights of Chinese travelling overseas, as well as the establishment of emergency rescue and insurance systems for travelers.

Chinese travelers made 70.25 million overseas trips in 2011, up 22.4 percent from the previous year, according to official figures.