China is the largest outbound market in the world with 136.5 million Chinese traveling abroad in 2017. The country’s outbound market is substantially larger than the US, which currently ranks second in terms of international departures.

China’s growing middle class, along with the easing of visa restrictions around the world and more air connections are driving the outbound tourism boom. By 2021, China will remain by fat the first largest outbound market, with 61.2 million more outbound tourists than the US.

Konstantina Boutsioukou, Associate Analyst for Travel and Tourism at GlobalData, says: “WeChat, with almost one billion active monthly users, has become embedded into the daily interactions and activities of Chinese people. Global tourism players must capitalize on the new features of WeChat to raise brand awareness and ultimately drive sales.”