12-pct rise estimated for China's tourism revenue

China's tourism industry reaped an estimated 2.9 trillion yuan (475.41 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue in 2013, an annual increase of 11.97 percent, a senior official said on Monday.

Domestic tourists made 3.25 billion trips last year, Shao Qiwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration, said at a national conference. The figure for 2012 was 2.9 billion, when the industry took in 2.59 trillion yuan in revenue.

According to Shao, 2013 saw 97.3 million Chinese people making outbound trips while inbound travel arrivals hit 55.7 million.

He said with the country's first law on tourism coming into effect in October, the quality of organized trips has improved, and the country plans to allow foreign-funded travel agencies to operate outbound trips for Chinese citizens in 2014.

The final figure for China's tourism revenue is scheduled to be released by the end of January.