ABSTRACT
Chinese outbound tourism grew rapidly in the 10 years between 2003 and 2013. Total number of departures increased from 20.2 million in 2003 to 97.3 million in 2013, averaging a 17% annual growth. Hong Kong, as one of China’s special administrative regions, has been the most popular destination among Chinese visitors, with more than 40% of the departures having Hong Kong as their first stop, including those who are visiting other destinations after Hong Kong. Figure 4.1 shows the total number of departures in China and those to Hong Kong from 2003 to 2013. The statistics show that Hong Kong has been the most-visited destination by the Mainland Chinese every year over the decade.
