WOMEN are showing a stronger interest in traveling overseas without using a travel agent compared to their male peers as the outbound tourism market burgeons in China, a newly released travel report found.

Females made up about 46 percent of total independent overseas tourists in 2016, while the number climbed to 58 percent in the first three quarters of this year, according to a report released by China’s biggest online travel agency Ctrip and global payment giant Mastercard.

Overtaking travelers of the 1980s generation, the number of teenage tourists and those in their 20s currently account for over 30 percent of China’s total outbound tourists.

Overseas travel is no longer just about shopping, the report said, as recreational activity reservation and spending rose 110 percent and 24 percent year on year, respectively, this year.

The report also noted that Chinese tourists are showing stronger wanderlust for off-the-beaten-track destinations and preferring more customized trips, while demonstrating increasing awareness of travel safety in terms of purchasing overseas travel insurance.

When it comes to inbound tourism, travel for recreation purposes still dominates the market, with American tourists leading the trend. Travel for business has posted stronger growth in the past two years, however, with the development of the Belt and Road Initiative propelling the inflow of foreign visitors, the report showed.

(Xinhua)