The number of overseas tourists visiting China surpassed 100 million in the first ten months of this year, according to a report released by China Tourism Academy.

The report, which was released on Monday, said this represents a 4.4 percent increase compared to the total visits by tourists within the same period last year.

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China National Tourism Administration said foreign visitors spent about $28.5 billion during their stay in China between January to October this year.

The report added the total revenue from inbound tourism reached $47.4 billion in the first ten months of this year - a 0.9 increase from the same period last year.

China has struggled over the past years with declining visits from tourists. This was caused by many factors including the severe air pollution engulfing parts of Beijing.

Economists say the tourism industry in China is slowly picking up and may even be rebounding in the following months and years.

The President of China Tourism Academy Dai Bin said the report was a confirmation of his analysis that China has contained the downward spiral of the tourism industry and will see positive growth both in tourism revenue and expenditures before the end of the year.

Tourists from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan were the top visitors to the country this year, accounting for about 80 percent of the total tourism earnings.

Visitors from South Korea, Japan and Vietnam visitors also contributed to the rebound of the tourism industry. The report said Vietnamese recorded the biggest increase in inbound visits at 33.6 percent in the first ten months of this year.

Nguyen Thi Bich Hang, a Chinese translator in Hanoi, Vietnam, said Vietnamese tourists like to travel to China, especially during the Spring Festival period.

"China and Vietnam share a common culture. Vietnamese tourists are attracted by the magnificent landscape of China," she said.

Nguyen added that the marketing and promotional campaigns of travel agencies in China have worked and more overseas tourists are visiting especially with the low vacation packages being offered by agents.

A week stay in certain parts of China such as Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou costs only 4,600 yuan ($718).

TagsChina Tourism Academy, inbound visits, China National Tourism Administration, Dai Bin, China tourism industry, positive growth, rebound, Vietnam, Taiwan