China records robust growth in service consumption in Q1

China recorded robust growth in service consumption during the first quarter of this year, with sectors such as tourism demonstrating full vitality, showed the latest data from China's State Taxation Administration (STA) on Wednesday.

According to value-added tax (VAT) invoice data, service consumption rose 5.3 percent year on year in the January- March period.

Notably, revenue from scenic area management and travel agency services during the period jumped by 40.5 percent and 15.5 percent, respectively, underscoring a nationwide tourism revival.

In Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, a mountainous region in southwest China's Sichuan Province which is renowned for its ethnic diversity and natural wonders, innovative offerings like outdoor sports, ice-and-snow tourism, and aerial sightseeing have attracted crowds of tourists.

As of March 27, major attractions such as Jiuzhaigou Valley, Huanglong scenic area, and Mount Siguniang had welcomed over 1.5 million visitors, generating 84 million yuan (about 11.45 million U.S. dollars) in ticket revenue, an increase of 86.7 percent year on year.

The influx has revitalized local hospitality industry, particularly hotels and restaurants.

"We have upgraded and renovated the hotel facilities, and added many elements of Tibetan and Qiang cultures, allowing guests to experience the charm of these traditional cultures. As a result, the occupancy rate has risen, and the revenue in the first quarter increased by 26.5 percent over the same period of last year," said Zhang Haiping, deputy manager of Qianhe Rezen Hotel.

Local tax authorities have actively engaged with tourism businesses to promote and elucidate tax preferential policies. They have also resolved issues encountered by these enterprises in areas such as tax filing, invoice management, and other related matters, to ensure the smooth operation of businesses.

"In the first quarter of this year, tourism-related enterprises in Aba issued invoices totaling 709 million yuan (around 96.6 million U.S. dollars), up 9.7 percent year on year. Specialized training has been provided for key enterprises in the industry to further implement tax preferential policies and support the construction of international eco-cultural tourism destinations," said Luo Xiaogen, director of Jiuzhaigou County Tax Bureau's Zhangzha Branch.

China's forest and grass coverage rate has exceeded 56 percent thanks to its greening efforts, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Greening Commission.

The country's afforestation areas surpassed 3.56 million hectares in 2025, the report said, adding that it had also restored nearly 4.93 million hectares of degraded grassland last year.

These achievements have brought China's forest coverage rate to a remarkable 25.09 percent, with forest stock volume totaling almost 20.99 billion cubic meters.

Last year, the output value of China's forestry and grassland industry reached nearly 11 trillion yuan (about 1.6 trillion U.S. dollars), the report revealed.

Ecotourism remained popular, recording over 3 billion trips in 2025, it said.

China also celebrated its 48th National Tree Planting Day on Thursday, with tree planting and afforestation activities held across the country in recent days.