The Chinese retain their title as the world's top tourism spenders, with outbound travelers from the country shelled out 1.2 trillion ($182.4 billion) last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Statistics offered by UnionPay International showed Japan, South Korea and Australia as favored shopping locations among Chinese tourists.
For their part, retailers in these destinations are keen to woo Chinese travelers for their amazing spending power.
Lured by a weak yen, 4.99 million Chinese traveled to Japan last year, representing a year-on-year increase of 107 percent. This surge pushed China ahead of South Korea as Japan's top source of foreign tourists.
Of course, the Chinese also made their presence known at local retailers. In fact, the Japanese recently coined a new work — "bakugai" or "explosive spending" — to describe the voracious buying habits of Chinese visitors.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the average Chinese traveler spent nearly 16,000 yuan in Japan last year. Must-haves Japanese items included smart toilet seats, cosmetic products and electric appliances.
Thanks to the popularity of Korean TV shows and pop music among young Chinese, South Korea also accepted more Chinese travelers last year.
The South Korea National Tourism Organization said 6.11 million Chinese traveled to the country last year, with the average visitor shelling out over 14,000 yuan during their stay.
Meanwhile, in Australia, just 1 million Chinese travelers arrived in the country last year, yet average spending reached a whopping 35,500 yuan.
Many Chinese believe Australian products are superior to those available in their own country. This has led to surging sales of health products and infant formulas, forcing some stores to introduce purchasing limits on certain coveted goods.
Available data show outbound Chinese travelers coming predominately from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
Beijing travelers flocked mostly to South Korea, Thailand and Japan in 2015. The Chinese capital also had the highest percentage of outbound travelers with per capita spending over 10,000 yuan.
Shanghai travelers also showed a fondness for Japan and South Korea, although they were much more willing to travel by cruise ship than their peers in other cities.
Guangzhou travelers preferred to travel with their families and focused more on exotic food.
Most Chengdu travelers preferred to join group tours.
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