China sees fewer tourists in Q1

BEIJING -- China saw tourism numbers drop year on year in the first quarter, while more Chinese went abroad, the China National Tourism Administration said Friday.

Inbound tourists hit 31.6 million in the first quarter, down 2 percent from the same period last year, but outbound tourists topped 22.6 million in the first quarter, up 16 percent year on year.

China's tourism revenue totalled about 835 billion yuan ($133.6 billion) in the first quarter, up 15.8 percent year on year.

The domestic tourism industry handled about 1 billion Chinese travels in the first quarter, up 14 percent year on year. Revenue expanded 18 percent year on year to 763 billion yuan, according to the administration.

However, tourism sectors took in $11.4 billion in foreign currencies, down 3 percent year on year.