China's southwestern Chongqing Municipality received 222 million domestic and overseas tourists in 2011, local tourism bureau said Tuesday.

Last year the city earned 120 billion yuan (19 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue from the tourism sector, including 900 million U.S. dollars from 1.8 million overseas tourists, the municipal bureau of tourism said in a press release.

To boost the tourism sector, Chongqing opened more international air services last year, such as direct flights to Maldives and Doha.

Chongqing is home to the Yangtze River's Three Gorges and the world heritage Dazu Rock Carvings.

In addition, 560,000 people in Chongqing travelled overseas last year, an annual increase of over 30 percent, the bureau said in the statement.

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