Apr. 13, 2012 (China Knowledge) - China's tourism revenue is expected to have reached RMB 714.6 billion in the first quarter of this year, 19.9% more than in the same period of last year, according to a report released by the China Tourism Academy.

The country received 900 million tourists in the first three months, reflecting an increase of 12.7% year on year.

The number of domestic visitors grew 14.5% year on year to 870 million in the first quarter, and revenue from these domestic visitors jumped 21% year on year to RMB 636.8 billion during the period.

China saw the number of inbound visitors climb 1% year on year to 32.1 million in the quarter, including 13.2 million overnight visitors. These inbound visitors brought in revenue of US$11billion, 1% more than in the same period of 2011.

The outbound tourism market experienced a rapid growth during the period, with the number of outbound tourists hitting 18.5 million.

The academy estimates the country's tourism revenue to grow 12% year on year to about RMB 1.22 trillion in the first half of this year, of which RMB 1 trillion derive from domestic travel.