Domestic tourism sees major jump in visitors and spending

China's domestic tourism market has prospered during the first nine months of the year with both visitors and tourism spending increasing, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Tuesday.

Domestic tourism attractions have received about 4,998 million visits during the first three quarters, up by 761 million, or 18 percent year-on-year, according to a survey by the ministry.

Among these visits, about 3,789 million visits were by urban residents and 1,209 million by people from rural areas — these figures represent year-on-year growths of 15.9 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

The ministry said that tourism spending has also grown during the first nine months, totaling 4.85 trillion yuan ($681 billion), a year-on-year increase of 11.5 percent. Urban tourists have spent about 4.05 trillion yuan on tourism during the period, up 9.3 percent year-on-year, while residents from the countryside spent 0.8 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24 percent.