Beijing received 746,000 inbound tourists from January to March, according to the Municipal Bureau of Statistics.
Among the sum, 121,000 came from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, up 1.1 percent year-on-year.
Of the 625,000 foreign tourists, 133,000 were American, up 5.6 percent from the same period last year. About 47,000 tourists came from Japan, down 0.5 percent. The number of South Korean tourists was 44,000, down 31.1 percent.
In terms of continental origins, the city welcomed 338,000 tourists from Asia, 184,000 from Europe, 182,000 from the Americas, 26,000 from Oceania, and 13,000 from Africa.
Many of Beijing's tourist sites implemented the "Cultural Creative Industry + Tourism" program, such as the Forbidden City, the National Museum, and the Beijing Zoo, which the city's statistics bureau credited for their increase in revenue.
According to its data, the revenue at Beijing's tourist areas in the first quarter reached 1.42 billion yuan (US$226.37 million), a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percent. Merchandise sales at these sites took in 55.02 million yuan, up 5.9 percent year on year.
For the hospitality industry, hotels with annual turnover reaching 2 million yuan or more in the city received 619,000 inbound tourists in the first quarter. Three-star hotels hosted 38.9 percent more guests, totaling 19,000, while the guest number for hotels of two stars and below reduced significantly.
Also during the first quarter, the number of Beijing's outbound tourists reached 1.25 million, among which 350,000 people traveled to Thailand and 170,000 journeyed to Japan. Macao, the U.S. and Italy also ranked among the most popular destinations.