China records more tourist visits, spending as holiday kicks off

BEIJING - China saw a marked increase in tourist visits and spending as millions of Chinese went on a travelling spree for the National Day holiday, also known as the "Golden Week", latest official data showed.

Altogether 104 million people visited tourist attractions around the country on Sunday, the second day of the holiday week, up 12.5 percent year on year, according to figures released by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

Nationwide tourist spending rose 16.1 percent year on year to 84.5 billion yuan (12.7 billion U.S. dollars) on Sunday alone, the CNTA said.

The tourism surge followed a record high in railway travels recorded on Saturday, the first day of the holiday. Railways carried 14.4 million passengers on Saturday, up 15 percent year on year, according to China Railway Corporation.

China is expected to ring up 478 billion yuan of tourism income during the holiday week, a 13.5 percent increase year on year, according to a survey by China Tourism Academy and Ctrip, an online travel agent.