Tourism numbers see steady rise

The number of times Chinese and foreigners with local residency permits visited tourist spots within China reached more than five billion in 2017, up 12.8 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the number of inbound and outbound visits reached 270 million, 3.7 percent higher, according to a report by the National Tourism Administration on Tuesday.

The number of inbound visits increased to over 139 million in 2017, up 0.8 percent from 138 million in 2016, the report says.

The report shows 17 countries, including Myanmar, Vietnam and South Korea, are the main sources of visitors with nearly 43 million people paying visits to China in 2017. Visitors from Asian countries made up the greatest share of inbound visits, reaching 74.6 percent.