An increasing number of Chinese tourists prefer self-organized tour to package tour, an industry giant said.
Young, tech-savvy and educated Chinese are heading off the beaten trail
Young technology-savvy white-collars and corporate travelers have become the fastest growing overseas traveling groups in China, said Oliver Hua, managing director of Asia Pacific region of Booking.com, the world's largest online hotel booking platform.
The number of group travelers with travel agencies has seen a slower increase due to some negative news about tour guides recently, he added.
A Hong Kong tour guide and Shenzhen tour escort were charged with killing a mainland traveler outside a jewelry store in Kowloon last week.
Some 70 percent of tourists from mainland choose to organize an overseas tour themselves, especially those between 20 and 35 years old, according to a China Youth Travel Service survey.
Most of these tourists travel aboard for sightseeing, shopping, photographing and food tasting, the CYTS said.
Some 61 million Chinese people traveled overseas in the first half of the year, or a 9.9 percent increase on year. Hua estimated the number of overseas travelers will be up 17 percent by the end of the year.
Japan, United States and Thailand are the top three most popular destinations to Chinese travelers, followed by Italy and France.
Meanwhile, some 65 million foreigners traveled to China early this year, a 4.9 increase from last year.
Small inns and youth hostels have become the favorite accommodation choices for foreign travelers to China, according to Booking.com.
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