Passport of call

Thailand's Chiang Mai is among the popular destinations for Chinese tourists.

Here's where Thailand stands out.

It has experienced a surge of Chinese tourists this summer to become the main destination for those who book through Ctrip.

The agency attributes the rise to the fact that some tourists who planned to visit canceled their trips following last May's coup.

Further and farther afield, France, Italy and Switzerland all witnessed more than 80 percent growth in Chinese influx over the six-month period, says Liu.

Well-developed products propelled this, Liu explains.

Online travel agencies, including Ctrip and Beijing Utour International Travel Service, have highly recommended these destinations.

That's partly because the weakening euro versus the yuan encourages shopping, Liu says.

The Expo Milano 2015 helped more than double summertime Chinese tourism to Italy, Ctrip says.

Germany has seen a 170 percent surge in Chinese visitors thanks to a simplified visa policy, the Gold Palm report shows.

Travel-visa delivery times have since June been abridged from five to three days.

Streamlined applications will shorten times to two days by the end of the year.

Visas don't only determine where people go but also where they spend.

Zhang planned to drop 10,000 yuan on transportation, and room and board in Bali. That's not to mention what he budgeted shopping.

He spends 15 percent of his annual salary on travel.

"I plan to go abroad at least once a year," Zhang says.

And he'll make his destination decision largely based on visa considerations, he says.

Contact the writers through yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn

Top 10 destinations

1. South Korea

2. Taiwan

3. Japan

4. Hong Kong

5. Thailand

6. France

7. Italy

8. Switzerland

9.Macao

10. Germany