Taipei, LA and Singapore top travel search growth list

As the National Day holiday approaches, travel search site Tianxun.cn released findings about popular searches from Aug 1 to Sept 30 over the past three years.

It shows that Taipei, Los Angeles and Singapore have recorded the greatest increase in search numbers.

The destinations have one thing in common?- they provide excellent shopping, a boon to Chinese tourists who are also taking advantage of easier visa applications and an appreciating currency.

According to Tianxu, Taipei has been in the top 10 for two years, with a 78.9 percent increase in search numbers in 2013 compared to last year. In June, residents of 13 more cities on the Chinese mainland were eligible to travel to Taiwan as individual tourists.

Taiwan is also a perfect place for shopping, not only for its specialty items such as ceramics, delicacies and tea, but also for the shopping attractions such as Taipei 101 Mall.

To attract Chinese travelers, Singapore has increased flights between the two countries, especially from the second and third-tier cities in China. Diehard fans of shopping know about Orchard Road, which features international high-end brands and retail outlets.

As the gateway to the US West Coast, Los Angeles is the first stop for most Chinese visitors. Searches to the city from the Chinese mainland showed a 90.8 percent rise from 2012 to 2013.