Travelers from China rise, tourism in China drops

The number of tourists traveling from China rose in the first half of 2013 over the same period of 2012, but foreign tourism in China fell, the government said. The Ministry of Public Security said the number of Chinese residents taking trips abroad rose by 18.36 percent in the first half of the year compared to January through June of 2012. Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are frequent destination for Chinese nationals, the official Xinhua news agency reported Saturday. Visitors to China -- many from the South Korea, Japan and the United States -- dropped 5.15 percent in the first half of the year, the government said. The Ministry of Public Security said 507 fugitives were arrested while trying to leave the country and 1,300 illegal immigrants were arrested in the first six months of 2013.