S. Korea top foreign destination for Chinese travelers

By Kim Young-gyo
HONG KONG, July 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea was the top foreign destination for the Chinese outbound travelers during the first six months of this year, the Chinese government said Monday, suggesting that the neighboring country is attracting a growing number of Chinese tourists.
China's Ministry of Public Security said in an online statement that South Korea ranked the No. 3 destination after Hong Kong and Macao for Chinese passengers exiting mainland China. The statement, however, did not reveal how many Chinese people visited each destination.
South Korea was followed by Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, the U.S., Vietnam and Cambodia.
The statement said the total number of Chinese outbound travelers increased 19.9 percent on-year to 32.2 million in the January-June period.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists entering China reached 12.9 million in the six-month period, up 2.5 percent on-year.
South Koreans made up the largest portion of the total foreign travelers, followed by Japanese, Russians and Americans. The Public Security Ministry did not reveal the number of travelers from each country.
South Korea's immigration officials said earlier this month that China was the most popular destination for South Koreans during the first half of 2011, followed by the United States, Japan and Thailand.
Japanese people represented the largest portion of foreign visitors to South Korea, accounting for 27 percent of the inbound foreigners in the first half, followed by Chinese, Americans and Taiwanese.
ygkim@yna.co.kr