MADRID, Jan 29: Global tourism hit a record high last year and China could soon surpass Spain as the world's second most popular destination, after France, the UN World Tourism Organisation said on Monday.

A 4.5 per cent global rise in tourist numbers pushed the 2006 figure to a record 842 million, the Madrid-based United Nations agency said, forecasting an increase of 4 per cent for 2007.

As well as sending millions of tourists abroad in recent years, China is set to receive more visitors than Spain by 2010, UNWTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli said.

“With its great tourist capacity it could surpass Spain by 2010,” he said. UNWTO figures for 2006 showed arrivals to China had increased six per cent on the previous year at 49.6m, despite higher costs due to an appreciating yuan, which gained some six per cent on the dollar in the 18 months to the end of 2006.

Spain's tourist intake rose 4.5 per cent to 58.4 million in 2006, but Chinese growth is forecast to accelerate and overtake Spain in the coming four years, the UNWTO said.

“A country as big as China has more tourist capacity. China is generating a flux of tourism in the region,” said John Kester, UNWTO director of market intelligence and promotion.

Figures for France in 2006 were not immediately available but the UNWTO expects almost no change on the 75.9 million visitors in 2005.

Next year's Beijing Olympics will provide China with a boost.

The number of tourists from China has soared since Beijing signed an Authorised Destination Status accord with the European Union allowing its nationals to visit 22 EU states on a visa in 2004.

Legislation has since extended to open up 132 countries to mainland residents of the world's most populous nation.

“China is consolidating its status as Asia's largest outbound tourism market as 34.5 million Chinese travelled abroad in 2006,” an 11 per cent rise on 2005, the UNWTO said, quoting the Ministry of Public Security.

Chinese tourist spending abroad rose 16 per cent in 2006 to an estimated $25.3 billion, according to provisional figures.

A UNWTO report last year estimated Chinese tourists visiting foreign destinations would number 100 million by 2020, having already risen from 20 million in 2003 to 31 million in 2005. Sector analysts say Chinese tourists will generate some $94bn in revenues by 2020.

Frangialli said India was also rising in popularity as a tourist destination, accounting for half of the 8.8m visitors to South Asia, which saw 10.1 per cent growth in 2006.

Africa saw an 8.0 per cent rise in tourist numbers last year, claiming the title of “star perfomer” by the organisation, but still only had a 4.8pc of the global share of tourists at 40.3 million.—AFP