Tourism in China is expected to continue its rapid development in the first half of the year despite the cooling of the economy, according to a report released by the China Tourism Academy on Thursday.

The number of domestic trips by Chinese people in the first half of the year is expected to reach 2 billion, an increase of 9 percent year-on-year, the report said.

Revenue generated by Chinese tourists in the first half of the year is expected to reach 1.6 trillion yuan ($260 billion), an increase of 13 percent over the first half of 2013, according to the report. In contrast, China's GDP is predicted to grow about 7 percent this year.

The booming tourism market is a result of multiple factors, including government policies encouraging the development of tourism and better protecting tourists' rights, according to the report.

"China's tourism industry has entered a new era of development," said Zhang Guangrui, former director of the tourism research center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Zhang said that tourism has become an important activity for ordinary people, rather than a luxury for a few rich as in the past.

"We can see even during festivals traditionally not meant for touring, such as Tomb Sweeping Day earlier this month, tourists swarmed scenic spots everywhere," he said.

Infrastructure improvements such as high-speed trains have also made touring easier, Zhang said.

In February, Li Jinzao, head of the National Tourism Administration, announced that tourism authorities across China would build 33,000 toilets and upgrade 24,000 existing toilets at tourist destinations in three years.

All tourist destinations will be equipped with ample, clean, free and well-managed toilets by 2017, the administration said on its website.

wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn