BEIJING, March 11 -- The cultural and tourism industries in China saw strong recovery and vigorous growth in 2023, Sun Yeli, minister of culture and tourism, said on Monday.

"The tourism boom has played a crucial role in stimulating domestic demand, promoting employment, invigorating the market and bolstering confidence," Sun remarked while meeting the press after the closing of China's annual national legislative session.

During the past winter season, China witnessed an ice-and-snow tourism boom in its northeastern regions. In Heilongjiang Province alone, from November last year to February, the number of tourists reached 120 million, generating tourism revenue of 170 billion yuan (about 23.95 billion U.S. dollars), according to Sun.

The entire country also experienced a tourism boom last year. Domestic tourists made nearly 4.9 billion trips in 2023, with total tourism expenditure approaching 5 trillion yuan, he said.

The market for performing arts also thrived last year. Approximately 440,000 commercial offline shows were staged, generating revenue of over 50 billion yuan. Meanwhile, online performing activities proved to be even more popular, with revenues roughly surpassing 200 billion yuan and 770 million participants, Sun said.