Mainland China travel itch to be felt worldwide soon

The staggering number of middle-class mainlanders forecast to soon catch the travel bug is forcing Beijing to expand its infrastructure, but the rest of the world seems unprepared for the numbers that will disembark.

"Chinese tourism development is still in the early stages. China will become a big economic and cultural power and will change the pattern of the global travel and tourism industry. It will have a huge impact on this industry," said Chen Feng, the chairman of Hainan-based airlines and logistics conglomerate HNA Group.

The rate of global change is such that the itinerant Chinese globetrotter is just one, albeit major, trendsetter as rising wealth levels across the developing world afford individuals and families the opportunity to invest more time and capital in domestic and overseas leisure travel.

The primary beneficiaries will be the global hotel chains, airlines, and retail and leisure facility providers, but the full effects should trickle down across the wider economy.

A surge in tourist numbers is made more remarkable given China's closed-door history and tight restrictions on personal travel.