BEIJING, Feb. 9 -- China saw a total of 4.89 billion domestic travel trips in 2023, a 93.3-percent surge from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Friday.

The fourth quarter witnessed the largest year-on-year increase for domestic travel, as more than 1.21 billion trips were made, bringing about a 179.1-percent rise.

Over 4.91 trillion yuan (about 691.2 billion U.S. dollars) was spent by domestic travelers over the year, up by 140.3 percent from 2022, the ministry said.