For Hu Mingming, a female Chinese fashion designer, golden week means lying on the sand at the picturesque Phuket Island in Thailand and enjoying seven days of sunshine.

It is the fourth time Hu has spent her week-long holiday on Phuket Island, one of the first international tourist sites for Chinese. Like Hu, more and more Chinese choose to spend their holidays outside China.

Statistics with the Thailand tourism authority show Chinese tourists made more than 100,000 trips to Phuket Island in 2005, and the figure is expected to top 150,000 this year.

A Chinese expert said China's holidays have benefited more and more neighboring countries since China began its first full week holiday to celebrate National Day in October 1999.

Having an entire week off means that Chinese tourists have enough time to head out the country. During this week's golden holiday, the neighboring countries have been the top choices for Chinese tourists, according to latest figures from the National Tourism Administration.

The Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, have attracted the majority of Chinese tourists, said the tourism authority.

Chinese tourists have been the main source for increased profits of scenic spots, restaurants and department stores in Singapore, the authority said.

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