The number of China's outbound tourists reached 122 million in 2016, according to a report jointly issued by travel services provider Ctrip and China Tourism Academy (CTA). The report states that Chinese travelers spent $109.8 billion in 2016 in overseas destinations.

Thanks to the increased spending power of Chinese people, upgrades to tourism and favorable visa policies, a total of 122 million outbound trips were made from China in the last year, increasing 4.3 percent from 2015. China has become the most popular destination for tourists from Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Russia, the Maldives and the U.K. However, China's outbound tourists are still less than 10 percent of the country's total population, which suggests huge potential for the future.

Total consumption by Chinese travelers overseas reached $109.8 billion last year, accounting for 16 percent of the country's total tourism consumption. Statistics from Ctrip show that Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., the Maldives, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Italy and Malaysia were the top 10 destinations where Chinese tourists spent the most money.

Compared with men, female travelers are more likely to choose overseas destinations, with the latter making up 56 percent of all China's outbound tourists. People born during the 1970s and 1980s made up nearly half of outbound tourists, but data shows that more and more younger people as well as the elderly have expressed interest in overseas travel.