According to the Ministry of Commerce's Department of Information Technology, for the month of August, the retail sales volume of the accommodation and catering sector rose 19.1% to RMB98.53 billion, with a growth rate 2.3% higher than the same period last year.

For the first 8 months this year, the retail sales volume of the accommodation and catering sector totaled RMB77.22 billion, up 18.1% year-on-year. The accommodation and catering sector accounted for 13.8% of the total consumer goods retail sales, contributing to 2.4% of its growth.

From January to August, there were 574 new foreign-invested enterprises within the accommodation and catering sector, 17.2% lower than the same period last year. In terms of industry norm, the sales volume of above-norm enterprises rose 18.5% to RMB23.03 billion, accounting for 29.8% of the sales volume of the whole industry and with a growth rate 0.4% higher than industry average.

The below-norm enterprises sales volume rose 17.9% to RMB54.18 billion, accounting for 70.2% of the industry total.