BEIJING, Nov. 16 -- China's catering sector reported steady growth in October as pro-growth policies have boosted consumer spending, official data shows.

The sector raked in 495.2 billion yuan (about 68.8 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue last month, up 3.2 percent year on year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

From January to October, the sector's revenue rose 5.9 percent year on year to about 4.4 trillion yuan.

Growth in October was 0.1 percentage points higher than in September, the China Cuisine Association said.

The sector's revenue accounted for 10.9 percent of China's total sales of consumer goods last month, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from September, according to the association.

China's consumption gained traction in October, with accelerated sales growth and improved consumer sentiment. NBS data shows that the country's retail sales of consumer goods increased 4.8 percent year on year in October, accelerating from the 3.2 percent increase seen in September.