The number of Chinese people travelling abroad will outnumber foreign tourists by 100 million per year within five years, according to a new report.

The report said Chinese travelers spend abroad about five times that of foreign visitors in China, leading to a disparity of earnings in foreign currencies between outbound and inbound trips.

The report by the Center for China and Globalization and the online tourism company Ctrip.com states that by 2015 Chinese visits abroad already outstripped foreign visits to China by 31 million.

Last year, China earned $120 billion from inbound travelers, an increase of 5.6 percent on the year before. However, Chinese spent $261.1 billion when they visited other countries, according to the 2016 Statistical Communiqué on National Economy and Social Development.

China remains a major destination for international tourism and business but its economic growth means that it has a rapidly increasing number of citizens who can afford to travel the world.