The number of international tourists hits new record in 2015 and China remains the world's top source of outbound tourists, according to a report released by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) on Monday.

According to the report, the number of international tourists rose by 4.4 percent worldwide in 2015 to hit a record 1.18 billion. This was the 6th year of successive growth in international travel since the international financial crisis in 2009.

China remains to be the country with most international travelers, and the number of travelers has been increasing with double-digit growth.

Asia-pacific countries like Japan, Thailand and major countries in Europe and North America are main destinations for Chinese travelers. They also are the tourists who spent the most compared to other nationalities.

Meanwhile, the consumption capability of tourists from Brazil and Russia has an obvious drop due to economic downturn and currency devaluation.

The report also shows that France, the United States, Spain and China are the most popular tourist destinations. Despite terrorist attacks, global tourism has continued to grow strongly in recent years.

WTO predicts that international tourism arrivals will increase by 4 percent in 2016. It has been forecast that the number of tourists who make an overnight trip abroad will hit 1.4 billion by 2020.