According to the annual report of Ctrip, a leading online travel agency in China, inbound travelers of the countries along the ‘Belt and Road’ exceeded three million in 2016, recording an increase of 50% over 2015.
In 2017, an estimated 25 million trips will be made from China to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, according to Ctrip.
China emerged as the largest feeder market for a lot of these countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Cambodia, the Philippines, the UAE and the Maldives.
Among some 60 countries along the Belt and Road, over 20 have granted visa-free and visa-on-arrival travel for citizens of China, and consequently, more than 2,500 Chinese visitors are expected to travel to these countries in 2017.
China too witnessed an increasing number of visitors from these nations in 2016.
While Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia were the top three destinations in the Belt and Road region for Chinese travelers; Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an emerged as the three most popular destinations in China.
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