China to 'blacklist' its unruly tourists

China will create a "blacklist" of its tourists who behave badly overseas, state-media reported, after several embarrassing incidents involving Chinese travelling abroad.

The country's National Tourism Administration (NTA) will keep a database of travellers who commit offences, with their names passed onto police, customs officials and even banks, the official Xinhua news agency reported Saturday.

Offences that could earn obnoxious tourists a place on the blacklist include "acting antisocially on public transport, damaging private or public property, disrespecting local customs, sabotaging historical exhibits or engaging in gambling or pornographic activities," Xinhua said.

People will be blacklisted for two years after they offend, it added.

China's economy has boomed over the past decade, expanding the ranks of its middle-class who are hungry for foreign travel after the country's decades of isolation in the last century.

Chinese travellers took 100 million "outbound" trips -- including to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan -- last year, according to official figures.