Based on expenditure from major outbound markets in 2016, the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer shows that with a 12% increase in spending, China continues to lead international outbound tourism, followed by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and France.
2016 was another strong year for outbound tourism from China, the world’s leading outbound market. International tourism expenditure grew by US$ 11 billion to US$ 261 billion, an increase by 12%. The number of outbound travellers rose 6% to 135 million in 2016.
The growth in outbound travel from China benefited many destinations in Asia and the Pacific, most notably Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand, but also long-haul destinations such as the United States and several in Europe.