Club Med, one of the pioneers of holiday resorts, is hoping to tap into the world's most populous market, and at its doorsteps.

"We'll have five Club Meds in China by 2016, and the number of Chinese guests will be doubled," says Olivier Horps, CEO of Club Med in China. Last year alone, more than 100,000 Chinese visitors were at Club Med's resort in Yabuli in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province and at Guilin in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

"We want to create an international ambience in our club, allowing guests from different parts of the world to mingle and share experience across local and alien cultures," says the French executive.