BEIJING - Even as some travel destinations struggle to attract tourists, flocks of Chinese are expected to go overseas during the National Day holiday, according to the country's top tourism think tank.

The China Tourism Academy, a research institute, forecasts that 2.2 million Chinese tourists will travel overseas during the weeklong holiday that starts on Oct 1.

The number of outbound tourists is expected to increase by a double-digit percentage above what it was in the same period this past year, the academy said. And travelers during the holiday are expected to spend $950 each on average, or $2.1 billion in total.

"Outbound travel has become more attractive to the Chinese since some overseas destinations are not as expensive as domestic resorts, which are usually not comfortable places to visit because too many people go to them during the holiday," Dai Bin, head of the academy, said in an interview with China Central Television.

According to the academy, the Maldives, Phuket Island in Thailand, Bali Island in Indonesia, Hong Kong and South Korea are expected to be among the destinations preferred by Chinese mainland tourists during the holiday.