BEIJING, April 24 -- Spending on domestic travel by Chinese residents surged by 18.6 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, highlighting robust growth in cultural and tourism consumption in the country.

According to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the total domestic tourism expenditure reached 1.8 trillion yuan (about 250 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter.

The report also showed that 1.79 billion domestic trips were made during the period, a 26.4 percent rise compared to the first quarter of 2024.

In the first quarter, urban residents' spending on domestic travel jumped up 14.8 percent to 1.48 trillion yuan, while rural residents' spending soared nearly 40 percent to 320 billion yuan.

Urban travelers made 1.318 billion trips, rising 22.4 percent from a year ago, and rural travelers made 476 million trips, spiking up 39.2 percent from the same period last year, according to the report.