BEIJING - China's nine-day Lunar New Year holidays kicked off Sunday, with Japan dropping from the 10 most popular overseas destinations for Chinese travelers after Beijing urged its citizens not to visit the neighboring country amid diplomatic tensions over Taiwan.

South Korea is expected to become a top overseas destination with some 250,000 Chinese visitors, up 1.5-fold from the previous year. Other popular countries include Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Turkey and Russia, according to local media reports.

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