Chinese tourists are world's biggest spenders and there might be a whole lot more of them travelling abroad now because the Chinese government has just made the process of obtaining a passport easier and more affordable. Xu Xinchen has more.

Starting this month, the fee for obtaining a Chinese passport has been reduced by 25% - something which has gone down well with the public.

ZHANG DONGSHENG LOCAL RESIDENT "The fee reduction can certainly encourage those who want to go away one day to get a passport now. Those who are still thinking about it, and have not acted on it, may choose to apply for a passport after the reduction."

While authorities around the country have been reporting a noticeable increase this month, it's been a trend in the south-western Chinese city of Chengdu for quite some time.

ZENG CHENG EXIT AND ENTRY ADMINISTRATION BUREAU OF CHENGDU "People can now apply for a passport across China instead of going back to their registered permanent residence. It saves time and cost. We processed 570,000 passports in 2017, and in 2018 the number went up to 690,000."

That equates to a 20-percent increase and it's only expected to rise further through the new measure.

XU XINCHEN CHENGDU "Nevertheless, data shows that only one-tenth of China's population hold a valid passport - meaning the rest probably have never left the country. Yet, this relatively small proportion still spent more than 100 billion US dollars overseas last year, more than any other country."

China's largest online travel service, Ctrip, said that heavy-spending Chinese travelers are welcomed all over the world.

LU YANG SPOKESPERSON, CTRIP CHENGDU "Many countries look forward to seeing Chinese travelers. Tourism is one of the greenest and most convenient ways to achieve economic growth."

And the company is very optimistic that more Chinese people will be applying for passports and planning trips to overseas.

LU YANG SPOKESPERSON, CTRIP CHENGDU "As Chinese people's incomes continue to increase, the remaining 90% of China's population could all be potential customers for international travel. Now, many post-80s Chinese have a family with young children and retired elderlies. With the passport fee reduction and easier assess to obtain one, more families will choose to travel overseas taking children and elderlies along."

Lu added that most Chinese travelers are still eyeing popular destinations and looking out for promotions and advertising.

As more Chinese cities start to offer international routes and increase passport service capabilities, some predict there could be some 240 million Chinese passport holders by next year - doubling today's number.

All pointing to a massive expansion in Chinese global exploration.

Xu Xinchen, CGTN, Chengdu.