BEIJING, May 3 -- More Chinese opted to travel to Japan, the Republic of Korea and Southeast Asian countries during the three-day May Day holiday, statistics from the National Tourism Administration (NTA) showed on Sunday.

Tours to Japan and the ROK surged by 50 percent from last year thanks to favorable exchange rates and relaxed visa policies, according to the NTA.

Nearly 30 percent of all outbound holidaymakers travelled to Europe, a surge from the previous year, with Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland as favorite destinations, said the NTA.

However, Hong Kong, a previously hot destination, suffered setback this year with average hotelroom fares down 20 percent during the past three days, said the NTA.

China has been the world's largest outbound tourist market since 2012, according to the World Tourism Organization. According to NTA data, the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad in 2014 increased by 19.5 percent year on year to 109 million, nearly 13 times the level in 1998.