China witnessed a booming tourism market in 2015, according to a report issued by the National Academy of Economic Strategy and Tourism Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Monday. 

According to the Analysis and Forecast of China’s Tourism Development 2015-2016, China's booming domestic tourism market saw over 4 billion outgoing journeys in 2015, generating tourism revenue of 3.6 trillion yuan. About 120 million Chinese people traveled overseas in 2015.

Statistics from the Japan Tourism Agency showed that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan in 2015 reached 4.99 million, increasing 107 percent from 2014, meaning that China has become the number one source of tourists traveling to Japan.

Data from the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shows that the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea in 2015 reached 6.11 million, accounting for a quarter of the total number of tourists there.

Meanwhile, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to the U.S. increased by 16 percent year on year. The number of Chinese tourists to Australia reached 1 million, meeting the 10-year target of a plan made by the Australian tourism bureau in only five years.

In addition, the document also offered an analysis of China's inbound tourism. Compared to the global tourism market, China's inbound tourism has been gloomy in recent years. The number of inbound tourists has dropped by a few percentage points every year since 2012.

To reverse the situation, the Chinese government has been changing policies to provide more convenience for inbound tourists. For one thing, the 72-hour visa-free stay policy for foreigners is continually evolving to be maximally useful, and research on visa-free entry for travelers from other countries is ongoing. The government also aims to improve policies for cruise ships.

In 2015, seven cities in China (Xiamen, Wuhan, Tianjin, Harbin, Nanjing, Qingdao and Changsha) adopted the 72-hour visa-free stay policy for foreigners. As of now, 18 cities in total are on that list. Southern parts of Guangdong province will even roll out a 144-hour visa-free transit policy for international travelers.

Based on statistics from the China National Tourism Administration, inbound tourism has seen an increase over the last 11 months.

The document also said that as of November 2015, the number of inbound travelers to China had reached 122 million, increasing 4.4 percent year on year. Tourists from South Korea, Japan and the U.S. came in the highest numbers.