BEIJING, Dec. 14 -- China's tourism market experienced a remarkable surge during the first three quarters of this year, a senior cultural and tourism official said on Thursday.

Domestic tourism recorded 3.67 billion visits and a staggering revenue of 3.7 trillion yuan (about 520.47 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, representing year-on-year increases of 75 percent and 114 percent respectively, figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed.

Du Jiang, vice minister of culture and tourism, said the heightened desire for travel among residents this year had significantly propelled domestic tourism.

"This surge not only stimulated increased consumer spending in the sector but also played a role in driving economic recovery," Du told a press conference.

Du added that the ministry is formulating a three-year plan to boost inbound travel, aiming to provide tourists visiting China with tourism products of higher quality and more convenient services.

Speaking at the press conference, Lu Yingchuan, vice minister of culture and tourism, said that Chinese travel agencies and online travel companies have been allowed to resume outbound group tourism services to 138 countries, which will facilitate the recovery of outbound tourism.