China's domestic tourism earned about RMB 3.9 trillion (USD 563.6 billion) in 2016, up 14% YoY, official statistics showed on January 9.
Domestic tourists made 4.44 billion trips last year, an increase of 11%, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said. Inbound trips rose 3.8% to 138 million and outbound trips increased 4.3% to 122 million.
The nation's tourism service trade surplus rose 11.5% to USD 10.2 billion, the data showed.
The CNTA has attributed the sector's growth momentum to upgraded domestic consumption.
Domestic tourism is expected to increase 10% year on year to 4.88 billion trips in 2017, with revenue rising 12.5% to RMB 4.4 trillion, according to CNTA data.
China plans to raise tourism revenue to RMB 7 trillion by 2020, the Chinese government has said. The nation will work to develop tourism into a major driver of economic transformation and upgrading.
By 2020, investment in tourism is expected to grow to RMB 2 trillion, and the sector will contribute more than 12% of GDP, according to a State Council five-year tourism plan (2016-2020).
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