BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland recorded an estimated 95 million inbound tourist arrivals in the first nine months of this year, marking a 55.4 percent increase year on year, an official of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Monday.

This figure equals to 93.4 percent of the inbound tourist arrivals for the same period in 2019, Zhang Zheng, vice-minister of culture and tourism, told a press conference.

Zhang said that the ministry has been working with relevant authorities to optimize visa and customs policies, accelerate the recovery of international flights, enhance payment facilitation, and improve the overall quality of services for inbound tourists.

To facilitate payments for inbound tourists, the government has mandated that major tourist attractions accept various payment methods, including foreign bank cards, QR codes and cash, according to Miao Muyang, an official in charge of cultural and tourism development at the ministry.

It is estimated that from January to September this year, domestic visitors made 4.29 billion trips and spent 4.32 trillion yuan (about $616 billion) on tourism, up by 16.8 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively, from the same period of 2023, according to the ministry.