Five billion Chinese tourists made domestic trips in the past year and tourism revenue reached 4.57tn yuan (around US$705bn), which represents an increase of more than 100 percent compared to 2012, CNTA director Li Jinzao said on Monday according to China News.

The number of inbound tourists reached 139 million in 2017, of which 29.1 million were foreigners - an increase of seven percent compared to five years ago. 129 million outbound trips were made last year, which is 45.8 million more than the number recorded in 2012.

Furthermore, China’s tourism industry contributed a total of 8.77tn yuan (around US$1.35tn) in 2017, accounting for 11 percent percent of the country's GDP. Over 28 million people are currently employed in the tourism industry.

Li also set new goals for the whole industry in 2018. By the end of this year, it is hoped that China's tourism revenue will reach 5.98tn yuan (around US$920bn) - an increase of 13 percent on current levels. 5.05tn yuan (around US$780bn) of this number will come from domestic travel, with 5.5 billion domestic trips expected to be made in 2018. Moreover, the number of inbound tourists is expected to rise to 142 million, with outbound tourists totalling 134 million.