This photo shows the city view of Hong Kong on May 5, 2023. (CHEN DUO / XINHUA)

Hong Kong and Macao topped outbound travel destinations among Chinese mainland tourists by total transaction volume in the first half of the year, according to a report released by mobile payment platform Alipay on Thursday.

Otherwise, Asian destinations remain the favorites for Chinese mainland tourists, with Japan and Thailand grabbing the third and fourth place, respectively.

Asian destinations remain the favorites for Chinese mainland tourists

READ MORE: Mainland fully resumes HK, Macao travel

The report also showed that people from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area prefer outbound travel. Among the 10 Chinese mainland cities that topped the list in outbound tourism, five are GBA cities – Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan and Zhuhai.

Outbound travel has seen a remarkable recovery since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and the border between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong reopened.

READ MORE: Macao, Hong Kong must fundamentally rethink tourism trade

According to the Alipay report, Chinese travelers on average spent 24 percent more on the platform while abroad in the first six months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2019.

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com