Italy boasts the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. [Photo by Xu Lin/China Daily]

"They seek novelty in travel, such as interactive tour products that allow them to experience the Chinese lifestyle. They enjoy customized travel with personalized itineraries. There's a shortage of such products in the Chinese market."

He believes it's important to have various products such as leisure, wellness, ecology, cruise and island experiences.

The CITS has been conducting research about inbound visitors over the past three years to adapt to market segmentation and develop tours that cater to different groups, he says.

They found, for example, that Shandong province is popular with Koreans, and consequently worked with local tourism bureaus and scenic areas on promotion.

China's most popular inbound destinations are Beijing, eastern China, Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, the Three Gorges, Chengdu and Chongqing, Liu says.

The most iconic Chinese elements for inbound visitors are the Great Wall, giant pandas and the Forbidden City.