China becomes world's no. 3 tourist draw

China has overtaken Spain on a list of the world's top tourism destinations, becoming the third-largest attraction.

Mr Man Hongwei, director of the international coordination department at the China National Tourism Administration, said at a press conference that the number of international arrivals staying at least one night in China reached 55.66 million last year, up 9.4 per cent from 2009.

France, which had 78.95 million arrivals, and the United States, which had 60.88 million, were No. 1 and No.2 respectively in the list compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Spending by outbound Chinese tourists ranked fourth- largest worldwide last year.

The number of outbound travellers hit 57.39 million last year, up 20.4 per cent year-on-year. 

Source: Relax.com.sg