China's 2012 tourism revenues top 2.57t yuan

CHENGDU - Tourism revenues in China are expected to top 2.57 trillion yuan ($407.94 billion) in 2012, up 14 percent year-on-year, the country's tourism chief said Thursday.

Domestic tourism markets reported 2.22 trillion yuan of revenues in 2012, up 15 percent year-on-year and 2.9 billion domestic trips, up 10 percent year-on-year, said Shao Qiwei, head of the National Tourism Administration, in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province.

About 80 million Chinese tourists went abroad last year, up 15 percent year-on-year.

However, fewer tourists came to China, with about 133 million overseas tourists last year, down 1.5 percent from the previous year. Among these, 57.4 million stayed at lease one night, almost the same as in 2011.

Revenues from inbound tourism stood at $48.5 billion, almost the same as 2011.

Domestic tourism consumption accounted for about 9 percent of a resident's total consumption and the sector provided 500,000 new jobs last year, Shao said.

The administration has set a 2013 tourism revenue target of 2.85 trillion yuan, up 11 percent year-on-year, Shao said.

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