Travelers hit Internet to plan vacations

When Lan Ping wanted to take a trip to the Maldives this summer, she turned to an online bulletin board instead of a travel agent to plan it.

"It is what everybody is doing now," said the 24 year old. "The comments in the online travel forums look more real and personal."

Lan is one of a growing number of Chinese tourists logging onto discussion forums to share vacation diaries, search for information and seek advice from other travelers, according to a new survey from Nielsen China Outbound Travel Monitor.