Gyeongbokgung Palace in northern Seoul, South Korea, is a popular destination for Chinese tourists.[Photo by Liu Yunmin/Liu Debin/Xu Lin/China Daily]

"They go overseas to have new experiences," says Hunter Williams, a partner at Oliver Wyman and author of the report.

"They will sure go shopping while they are there, but shopping is not the main reason that drives their trip."

Visitors to Europe and the United States are least likely to be led by shopping. But visitors to South Korea are mostly motivated by retail.

"In some places, to build a big shopping mall in the middle of nowhere is not encouraging anymore because their main reason to visit is sightseeing," he says.

Respondents spend about $1,200 on average per trip.

About 41 percent of that is on shopping, 28 percent on transportation, 16 percent on leisure, food and drink, and 13 percent on accommodation.

Shoppers say 32 percent is spent on buying gifts for others, and 19 percent is for resale back home.

The United States, France, the United Kingdom and South Korea are the top destinations for Chinese hoping to resell. Over a third of their shopping is at duty-free shops, where cosmetics and alcohol are the most popular purchases. Clothes, food and souvenirs are the items they buy most from department stores and malls.