The file photo shows Lijiang old town in southwest China's Yunnan province, which remains one of China's most visited tourist attractions. [Photo: baidu.com]
China has vowed to expand investments in its tourism industry this year.
Li Jinzao, head of the National Tourism Administration, says investment will rise 20 percent from last year, to 1.2 trillion yuan or 180 billion U.S. dollars.
Li estimates that Chinese people are expected to make over 4 billion domestic trips this year with both inbound and outbound tourist trips estimated at 260 million in total.
Meanwhile, the country is also looking to attract more overseas visitors this year.
Most inbound tourists to China come from neighboring countries such as South Korea and Japan, as well as other developed nations like the U.S. and Russia.
They account for over 60 percent of all inbound tourists in the country.
The number of visitors from Vietnam and India has also been on the rise in recent years.
For more on this, we are joined live on line with Mike Bastin, Director of the China Business Centre at Southampton Solent University based in London.
