Guilin, in the northern part of Guangxi, is known for its picturesque karst mountains and beautiful rivers.[Photo/Xinhua]

Tourism is booming as the number of tourists to the scenic city of Guilin in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has hit a record high.

Last year, more than 100 million people visited Guilin, a year-on-year increase of 32.58 percent, according to the local government on Friday.

The total consumption in tourism exceeded 139 billion yuan ($20 billion) in 2018, up 43.22 percent year on year.

[Photo/Xinhua]

Guilin, in the northern part of Guangxi, is known for its picturesque karst mountains and beautiful rivers.

To bring the tourism industry to the next level, local authorities have issued a host of policies, including 72-hour visa-free transit stays for nationals of 51 foreign countries, and six-day visa-free stays for tourist groups of ASEAN member countries.