2015's top tourism developments

2. Likely contribution to GDP: 10 percent

[Photo/China Daily]

In 2015, internal tourism accounted for more than 4 billion visits to various sites, with a total revenue surpassing 4 trillion yuan ($615 billion). The outbound tourist total hit a record of 120 million visits. China's domestic travels, outbound tourist visits, and domestic and outbound tourism consumption all ranked among the world's highest.

The World Travel and Tourism Council, a London-based body, estimates the contribution of China's travel and tourism sector to the country's GDP will be 10 percent this year, performing better than the education, banking and automobile industries. The Beijing-based National Tourism Data Center estimates the travel and tourism sector supported 10 percent of total employment in the country last year.