Mainland Chinese are travelling overseas for business and leisure in greater numbers than ever before according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index.The recently released report turns its lens on where international travellers originate. Mainland China has jumped from position seven in 2009 to position two now, behind only the US in terms of the number of travellers to overseas destinations.

The Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index Origin study specifically ranks where the most people travel internationally from, and their top destinations. Globally, the industry contributed a record USD 8.8 trillion and 319 million jobs in 2018, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) – and insights like these can help shape local decision-making on how to best attract and serve travellers from around the world.

This year, the US is the No. 1 origin market followed by mainland China, Germany, the UK and France.