BEIJING, April 30 -- China's domestic tourism market posted steady growth in terms of both trips and travel spending in the first quarter this year, indicating solid travel demand in the country's domestic tourism sector.

More than 1.9 billion domestic trips were made during this period, up 6 percent from a year earlier, according to data from a sample survey of domestic travelers conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Urban residents accounted for 1.4 billion trips, an increase of 6.5 percent from a year earlier, while rural residents made 498 million trips, marking a 4.6-percent rise.

Domestic tourism spending expanded 2.9 percent year on year to 1.86 trillion yuan (about 271 billion U.S. dollars). Of the total, urban residents spent 1.53 trillion yuan, rising 3.5 percent, while rural residents' spending stood at 320 billion yuan, edging up 0.4 percent.