Aug. 2 -- The number of tourists traveling to China and the amount of money they spent there both increased by 5 percent annually during the first half.
Nearly 72.7 million international tourists spent almost USD65 billion from January through June, People's Daily reported, citing the results from a survey by the National Tourism Administration's China Tourism Research Institute. Chinese tourists heading overseas rose 14 percent over the same period to about 81.3 million, the report added.
Domestic tourism also grew considerably as traveler numbers rose 8.8 percent to nearly 3.1 billion and their spending surged 13.5 percent to CNY2.8 trillion (USD403 million).
China's peak and off-peak seasons are also becoming more balanced, the report added, saying short- and medium-distance trips are becoming the norm. More than 80 percent of people who took the survey said they took part in cultural experience activities on their travels.