Taipei was the second-most searched for destination on Chinese-language Web site Hotel.com in the first five months of the year, with Hong Kong in first place, according to an annual study by the site of outbound travel by mainland Chinese.
Asian destinations comprised nine out of the top 10 spots on the list, with Paris sneaking into the running in 10th place.
In order the most searched destinations were Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Seoul, Phuket, Tokyo, Osaka, Chiang Mai, Singapore and Paris, this year’s Hotel.com Chinese International Travel Monitor shows.
According to the Web site’s room bookings, the top 10 destinations users visited last year were the US, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, France, Australia, Italy and the UK.
According to the study, tech-savvy, younger and more affluent Chinese formed a substantial part of the 20 percent growth in the number of outbound mainland Chinese travelers, which reached 107 million last year.
“China now has 1.4 billion people, up from official government estimates of 1.36 billion in July last year. Disposable personal income in China grew to an all-time high of 28,844 yuan [US$4,640] last year, which means people have more money to spend on travel and other discretionary spending,” the report said.
It explained that the trend is supported by continuing urbanization.
Citing research by McKinsey and Co consultants, a US multinational management consulting firm, the report said that by 2022, more than 75 percent of China’s consumers in cities are likely to be earning between 60,000 and 229,000 yuan per year.
“This urban affluence will fuel further, sustained growth in outbound tourism. Official China tourism statistics indicate that the number of outbound tourists was 107 million in 2014, an increase of almost 20 percent over the previous year,” the report said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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