China's value-added output from marine tourism sector hit 1.087 trillion yuan, registering 11.4 per cent growth year on year, an official report said.
"Tourism has become an important growth point driving marine economic development," the report which was jointly released by China's National Development and Reform Commission and the State Oceanic Administration said.
Cruises were popular among tourists, with more than 2.48 million trips aboard cruise ships in 2015, a 44 per cent surge compared with the previous year, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying today.
The marine fishery and shipbuilding industry also grew steadily last year with value-added output of 435.2 billion yuan and 144.1 billion yuan.
Marine oil and gas industry value-added output stood at 93.9 billion yuan, a two per cent decrease year on year, due to international crude oil prices, it said.
China this week has announced the formation of nine new state-level marine parks to protect the marine environment, bringing the total number to 42.
The new parks are located in the provinces of Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan, China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) circular said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
