BEIJING, Oct. 27 -- China saw over 3.67 billion domestic tourist visits in the first three quarters of this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Friday.

The figure marked an increase of 1.58 billion tourist visits, or 75.5 percent year on year.

Of these trips, nearly 2.85 billion were made by urban tourists, surging 78 percent year on year, while trips made by rural residents increased by 67.6 percent to 828 million, according to statistics released by the ministry.

During the period, expenditures by tourists amounted to 3.69 trillion yuan (about 514.06 billion U.S. dollars), soaring 1.97 trillion yuan, or 114.4 percent, the data showed.