With more than 100 million Chinese expected to travel abroad this year, an increasing number of countries have reduced their visa application procedures in order to grab a larger slice of the tourism pie, experts said today.

China Tourism Academy professor Yang Jinsong said that visa application and processing are still the major hindrance at which Chinese tourists, with more than 98 million of them visiting other parts of the world in 2013, are turned off from travelling to a certain country.

Like Us on Facebook

"The growth of China's outbound tourism, however, cannot be ignored and a growing number of countries are now easing their visa rules to accommodate Chinese tourists," said Jinsong.

He also predicted that despite concerns on terrorism, illegal immigration and overstaying tourists, most countries will soon waive visas in the future as tourism will continue to be a major economic contributor.

"No one wants to be left behind," Jinsong said.

The United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom and several other countries in Europe have already announced several measures to trim down visa processing procedures for Chinese applicants. Other countries are also offering visas upon arrival just to entice more Chinese tourists.

Chine Vice-Premier Wang Yang said during the 2014 World Travel & Tourism Council Summit in Hainan that China's tourism market will surpass US $2 trillion in five years and will go on to be the world's largest in 2017, exceeding that of the United States.

InterContinental Hotels Group's Global CEO Richard Solomons also said that the rapid growth in China's outbound travel has significantly changed the global tourism landscape. He said Chinese tourists have also become the largest spenders among global travelers.

The world is now focusing on Chinese tourists and several countries have been trying very hard to entice Chinese travelers through loosened visa application procedures, said Marriot International Inc. President and CEO Arne Sorenson.