Almost half of the Chinese tourists prefer the United States as their destination for their overseas self-driving trip, according to a survey conducted jointly by Mafengwo.com, China's largest tourist information-sharing website, and zuzuche.com, one of the leading online car rental reservation platforms in China.

Figures from the China outbound self-driving 2014 report shows that more than 46 percent of the Chinese tourists prefer the United States for the destination of self-driving trips, way more popular than other countries that ranked high, including Germany at 7.89 percent, Australia at 7.6 percent, France at 6.23 percent, and Thailand at 4.94 percent.

Other popular destinations include Italy with 3.65 percent, Canada with 3.56 percent, Great Britain with 3.14 percent, New Zealand, 3 percent, and Turkey at 2.38 percent.

With easier visa application process, rapidly developing online tourism agencies in China, an ever-increasing disposable personal income of surging middle class families and the increasing impulse to explore the world in an exclusive way, self-driving trips are more than ever popular with Chinese tourist, especially the young.

"For me the self-drive holiday is the best way to see and explore a country," said Tony Wang, a 33-year-old Shanghai resident, who went on a road trip in the United States last year. "You simply avoid waiting for local buses, taxis or trains and travel at your own pace, and there is nothing quite like the freedom of a self-drive holiday."

Just like Wang, many of those who fancy self-driving trips are between 25 to 44 years old, mostly industry experts; middle and senior managers and entrepreneurs, said the report.

Many of the self-driving tourists, as many as 60.94 percent, are from the first tier cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with those from the eastern coastal cities, like Zhejiang province, Jiangsu province and Sichuan province, also witnessing a rapid growth rate.

Some 28.5 percent of the interviewees report an annual income of 260,000 - 500,000 yuan, followed by 25.7 percent of the self-driving enthusiasts who report an annual income of 160,000 to 250,000 yuan, it said.

According to the report, the United States also had a relatively lower car rental cost, around 287 yuan each day on average, a little bit higher than Thailand with the daily expense of 184 yuan and Australia with a daily 260 yuan cost, while cheaper than the other destinations including Germany, Turkey and the Great Britain with around 300 yuan each day, and Canada, New Zealand, France and Italy even more than that.

An average sedan is still the most sought after vehicle when renting a car overseas, the choice of 43.74 percent of the interviewees. However, the luxury vehicles still witnessed an increase from the 2.5 percent in 2013 to 4.22 percent in 2014, an 84.4 percent increase, said the report.

Figures from Mafengwo.com show that 30.6 percent of the outbound visitors in 2014 prefer self-driving.

However, to come up with the notary for the Chinese driving license has become the top one restraining factor, with 72.62 percent of the interviewees saying they find it a bother, followed by the cost and road conditions, said zuzuche.com.

The United States also ranked second in service satisfaction, after Thailand and ahead of Canada, with its vast railroad network, picturesque regions, the convenience to car rental places and its vast freedom to reach places one would otherwise not bother visiting.

A recent report by China Tourism Academy says that the United States has been voted the third overall most satisfactory destination for Chinese outbound tourists, after Italy and Singapore, with its urban image, local transportation and Chinese-friendly services.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn