More than 73.34 million overseas tourists visited China during the first 10 months of this year, an increase of 5.66 percent on the same period last year, according to the latest figures released by the China National Tourism Administration.

The amount spent by the overseas tourists is estimated at US$ 14.8 billion, up 9.28 percent.

The number of tourists from the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Russia and Japan maintained a two-digit growth.

Tourism has become a new economic growth area in China and is an appropriate industry for the nation's opening to the rest of the world.

Last year the country registered the arrival of 83 million overseas tourists, and its tourism revenue reached 450 billion yuan, with US$ 16 billion in overseas exchange and 320 billion yuan from domestic travelers.

( Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2001)