With more workers receiving better salaries and more vacation time in China, an increasing number of Chinese travelers are visiting the U.S. and Europe each year - and spending their money.

According to the Department of Commerce, the U.S. received more than 1.8 million Chinese tourists last year, which is three-fold increase from just five years ago.

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Although U.S. tourism destinations are growing in popularity at a much faster rate than are European destinations among Chinese tourists, travel agencies still find Europe is the most common destination for Chinese travelers, according to China CYTS Tours Holding Co.

Employees like Zheng Wei, who works for a financial company in Beijing, are required to take time off for annual vacations, and majority of Chinese people planning to travel abroad tend to set a destination in the U.S. or Europe, China Daily reports.

"It took one or two months' worth of my salary to travel around the U.S. for almost two weeks, and it's well within my price range," Wei said.

The U.S. entices Chinese tourists with natural scenic views, such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks, as well as theme parks liked Disneyland and Universal Studios.

On the other hand, Europe entices Chinese tourists with extravagant structures and history with castles and chateaus, as well as world-famous museums like The Louvre in Paris, the  Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, or the The British Museum in London.

China Daily reported that the increased number of Chinese students in the U.S. also have an impact on the tourism in the country, as the students are often visited by their families traveling abroad. In addition, the U.S government has made it much easier to apply and attain visas for the Chinese than many European countries. 

TagsTourism destinations, U.S., Europe, Traveling abroad