BEIJING — China's forest tourism saw steady growth in the first eight months of the year amid ongoing government efforts to boost the industry, official data showed.

The number of visitors in forest tourism increased 13 percent year-on-year to 1.2 billion in the January-August period, according to Cheng Hong, an official with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Meanwhile, forest tourism generated 1.1 trillion yuan ($156 billion) in social output during the period, Cheng said.

The country's forest tourism industry has maintained rapid development, with the average annual growth rate of visitors remaining above 15 percent in the past five years.

In 2018, visitors in the industry exceeded 1.6 billion, creating a social output of about 1.5 trillion yuan.

Forest tourism is making growing contributions to boosting rural revitalization and poverty alleviation, Cheng said.