Sun Yeli, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and minister of culture and tourism, attends a press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO) on achievements in high-quality development of culture and tourism during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese tourists made nearly 3.29 billion domestic trips in the first six months of 2025, setting a new record high, China's minister of culture and tourism Sun Yeli said Monday.

In the same period, the total amount of tourist-related expenditure reached 3.15 trillion yuan (443 billion U.S. dollars), said Sun at a press conference.

The minister added that, following the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, China's tourism industry has seen a robust rebound.

According to Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism Wang Jianhua, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the country has worked diligently to provide more high-quality tourist products.

During the period, the country added 2,600 new scenic areas rated A in terms of quality, bringing the total number of such scenic areas in China to 16,500, Wang noted. In the country, 97 percent of county-level regions now have A-rated scenic areas.

Meanwhile, the diverse and personalized needs of tourists were better met. For instance, the elderly-friendly tourist train services saw remarkable development. From January to August this year, the country operated 1,551 such trains, carrying 930,000 passengers, of whom 80 percent were seniors.