Courtesy www.telegraph.co.uk
International markets saw a 16 percent increase in Chinese outbound travelers, but closer to home, in Greater China, there was a 7 percent decline in tourism for the first half of 2016, according to the China Outboard Tourism Research Institute.
COTRI found that there were 64 million border crossings from Mainland China between January and June of 2016, resulting in a growth rate of 3.4 percent. Much of the luxury market relies on Chinese outbound travelers who visit brand stores and duty free shops to make high-end purchases as a method to avoid the high tax at home.
COTRI released its latest statistics during the 6th Biannual ITSA conference, organized by the International Tourism Studies Association based in Beijing, Washington and the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom. This year?s conference was held Aug. 17-19 in Greenwich. Passport stamps

Although visits to Greater China?which includes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan?declined, nearby Thailand, South Korea and Japan saw high numbers of arrivals for the first half of 2016.
By quarter, Greater China saw a 9.9 percent decrease in travelers during the first quarter, but a decline of 3.7 percent for the following quarter.
According to COTRI, on a global scale travel was down 22.4 percent in the first quarter and 12.5 percent in the second quarter. This resulted in the global growth rate improving by 2.4 percent and 4.3 percent in the first and second quarters, respectively.
COTRI also f...