LIKE FLYING: Chinese tourists experience the feeling of weightlessness in a space center in Russia (CHEN JIANLI)

When reminiscing of her travels, Wang Yuanwang thinks back fondly to a 10-day kayaking trip she took in Russia with several classmates when she studied there in 2004.

"We fished, picked mushrooms and wild fruit to feed ourselves. As we paddled we had a great view of the northern European landscape," said Wang, now a stewardess for Hong Kong Airlines. "At night, we'd make camp on one of the many thousands of islands in the area, light a bonfire and watch meteors streak across the sky. The 10-day trip was like living in a fairy tale," she said.

It's safe to say that Wang has the "travel bug." Since 1997, she has set foot in 12 countries, including the United States, North Korea, Singapore, Japan and England. She is just a small drop in the torrent of outbound Chinese tourists, who made 70.25 million trips abroad in 2011, a 22.4-percent year-on-year increase from 2010, according to the Annual Report of China Outbound Tourism Development 2012 compiled by the China Tourism Academy.

"China has witnessed a surge in outbound travel," said Shao Qiwei, Chairman of China National Tourism Administration.

In 2012, China's overseas tourism will have more opportunities as the year marks China-Russia Tourism Year, the 40th anniversary for the normalization of diplomatic relationship between China and Japan and 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. China is anticipated to become the world's fourth biggest source of outbound travelers by 2015, said Shao.

In 2001, when China gained admission to the WTO, the number of outbound tourists was only 12.13 million and only 17 countries and regions granted tourist visas to Chinese nationals. With mainland outbound tourists surging to 70.25 million and 140 countries and regions that agree to grant tourist visas to Chinese nationals in 2011, the country has become the largest outbound tourism source in Asia and the fastest developing outbound travel market in the world.

In Shanghai, at least 64,344 people traveled abroad during the Spring Festival rush from January 15 to 28 this year, up 11.59 percent year on year, according to the city's tourism bureau.

While traditional destinations, such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and European countries remained popular this year, new destinations including Sri Lanka, Hawaii, New Zealand and Maldives are also drawing Chinese crowds.

Behind the prosperity

Several factors have contributed to the outbound travel boom, including China's surging economy, the relaxation of visa application procedures, the new concept for travel, increasing support from the Chinese Government, and the appreciation of the Chinese currency.

Most importantly, more Chinese chose to spend their spare time traveling abroad because they have more money in hand.

"When the per-capita GDP in a country ranges from $3,000 to $5,000, the country will enter a phase of leap-forward development in expenditures on casual activities," said Mao Peiqi, a professor at Renmin University of China. "The per-capita GDP in China has surpassed $4,000, making traveling a more important component for people's daily life. With more money and 115 days off each year, more Chinese people are bound to go abroad to see the outside world."