BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Global tourism revenue is expected to grow by 6.7 percent in 2018, much higher than the forecast growth rates of global GDP, according to a world tourism report.

In 2017, the total number of global tourist arrivals increased to 11.9 billion, up 6.8 percent year-on-year, and global tourism revenue was estimated to hit 5.3 trillion U.S. dollars, said the report released by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) based in Beijing.

Last year, China contributed 4.5 billion tourist arrivals, the most. while the United States reaped the highest total tourism income.

The report forecasts the total number of global tourist arrivals will reach 12.7 billion this year.

The overall momentum of global economy, improvement of tourism infrastructure, tourism marketing and favorable visa policies of many countries will accelerate global tourism economy, said Song Rui, head of the Tourism Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Founded in 2012, the WTCF has currently 128 city members covering 62 countries and regions.