Skiing is a potential draw to Canada for Chinese tourists. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Canada scored second highest in the Chinese outbound tourist-satisfaction survey in the fourth quarter of 2014, the latest official research shows.

Canada ranks after Singapore in the survey, which sampled 27 overseas tourism destinations. The survey was released last week by the China Tourism Academy, China's top tourism think tank.

China has become the world's largest outbound tourism market, arriving at that mark in 2012. In 2014, the number of outbound Chinese visitors reached 100 million for the first time.

According to statistics from the Canadian Tourism Commission, the number of Chinese tourists entering Canada from January to November was 425,856, a 29.4 percent increase compared with the same period in 2013.

China became Canada's largest overseas market for the first time in January 2014, with 26,762 visitors crossing the Pacific.

In the fourth quarter of 2014, the score of Chinese outbound tourist-satisfaction index in Canada was 79.63. The average score was 76.20 in this quarter.

The scores summarized the experiences of outbound Chinese tourists in 49 indices, including the prices, convenience of using a bank card, shopping and urban public transportation.

The survey also included new indices such as air quality, sense of safety, a self-driving tour and barrier-free facilities.

The survey also indicated that Chinese tourists see language service as vital to their experiences traveling abroad.

As for 2014, Canada ranked fifth among the 27 sample countries or regions. New Zealand got a score of 80.55, which is the highest in this year.

The score of the Chinese outbound tourist-satisfaction index in Canada was 79.99. The average score of tourist-satisfaction indices in the sample destinations was 77.15 in this year.

The score of tourist satisfaction index for Canada from the questionnaire survey was 78.52 and that from tourists' Internet comments was 82.80, ranked second and fifth, respectively.

In the fourth quarter of 2014, the score from the survey of Internet comments on travel to Canada was 82.80, an increase of 2.82 from the average score of overall outbound tourist satisfaction.

According to the survey, Chinese tourists to Canada were most satisfied with travel agency and Internet booking. They were least satisfied with tourism industry management, with a score of 73.86.

For traveling in Canada, the Chinese tourists were more satisfied with tourist attractions, transportation, food and drinks, accommodation and possibility to recommend the destination; the scores of these indices were all higher than 80.

From January to November 2014, Canada received approximately 16 million international visitors, up 3.1 percent compared with the same period last year, according to statistics from the Canada Tourism Commission.

Canada was granted Approved Destination Status by China in June 2010, allowing the Canada Tourism Commission and travel trade to actively market Canada directly to Chinese consumers.

Since February 2014, Chinese tourists can get multiple-entry visas that can be valid up to 10 years or up to the validity of the applicant's passport. The visa fees also were lowered by 50 percent.

Canada's finest ski resorts with diverse winter activities are seen as the next huge unexplored market for China, while Beijing bids for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Spring Festival has also become the peak travel time for Chinese tourists in recent years. Canada offers a series of events during the holiday to meet the different needs of Chinese tourists.

The Canadian tourism industry now targets the growing Chinese high-value independent traveler and middle-class families in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenyang, the five main gateway cities to Canada.

wangru@chinadaily.com.cn