Safety concerns, better travel options help lesser-known destinations gain an edge over once-popular locales, reports Wang Wen.

Political uncertainties in some Southeast Asian nations are propelling Chinese tourists to such exotic destinations as Hawaii, Saipan and Guam in the Pacific and also helping boost local tourism industries in these regions, tourism sources said.

Jiang Yiyi, director of the China Tourism Academy's international tourism development division, said that the number of outbound tourists from China will cross 100million this year.