HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― Korea was the top foreign destination for the Chinese outbound travelers during the first six months of this year, the Chinese government said Monday, suggesting that the neighboring country is attracting a growing number of Chinese tourists.

China’s Ministry of Public Security said in an online statement that South Korea ranked the No. 3 destination after Hong Kong and Macao for Chinese passengers exiting mainland China. The statement, however, did not reveal how many Chinese people visited each destination.

South Korea was followed by Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, the U.S., Vietnam and Cambodia.

The statement said the total number of Chinese outbound travelers increased 19.9 percent on-year to 32.2 million in the January-June period.