Chinese tourists spend $115b overseas in 2017: Report

BEIJING -- Chinese tourists made 130 million overseas trips in 2017, with total spending amounting to $115 billion, according to a report jointly released by China Tourism Academy and online travel agency Ctrip.

The data marked a year-on-year increase of 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

While escorted group tours remained the first choice for many Chinese, self-guided independent travel is gaining popularity, the data showed.

The economic impacts of China's mobile population are already being felt worldwide as more Chinese have opted to travel overseas.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the number of global travelers will exceed 1.8 billion by 2030. China is considered the world's fastest growing tourism market and will play a key role in the sector's development.