Visa's recently released Tourism Outlook: China indicated an increase of 23% year-on-year to US$4.7 billion in spending by international Visa cardholders in China.

Visa cardholders from the United States remain to be the largest spenders in China, followed by the Japanese and Hong Kong nationals.

The publication also shows that over the last five years, spending by international visitors on Visa cards in China reached US$20.8 billion with an average annual spend across the five-year period of US$4.2 billion.

Visa Group Country Manager for North Asia, Chris Clark, was quoted as having said that in China they have seen continued rapid economic growth and the tourism market in particular, due to rising incomes and increasing demand for travel. Clark added that they believe that as tourism grows, China can expect the effects of tourism spending to bring even more benefit to the labour market and its economy as a whole.

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