BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's inbound tourism remained steady in 2018 when a total of 141 million inbound visitors were recorded, up 1.2 percent year-on-year, according to figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Inbound tourists brought a total of 127.1 billion U.S. dollars in revenue to the tourism sector, registering a 3 percent increase compared with 2017.

Releasing the figures at a recent press conference, the ministry noted that with growing cultural consumption demand by residents, China saw continued increase in its per capita expenditure on consumption on education, culture and entertainment products.

Resident's cultural and tourism consumption has evolved to become a new economic growth area in China, according to ministry officials.