(Photo: The National)

SARAJEVO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- In the first three months of 2019, a total of 8,028 Chinese tourists visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, a 115.1 percent increase year-on-year, the country's Agency for Statistics stated in a report issued on Friday.

In the same period of 2018, 3,731 Chinese tourists visited BiH, and stayed an average of 1.3 nights, the report added.

Chinese tourists recorded 10,755 overnight stays in the first three months of this year, compared with 4,804 year-on-year, a increase of 123.8 percent.

The growing number of Chinese tourists in BiH is accelerated by an agreement on a mutual visa-free regime between the two countries which took effect on May 29, 2018.

In the first three months this year, a total of 236,922 foreign tourist arrivals was recorded, with 531,380 overnight stays, representing a 9.3 percent and 10.8 percent rise respectively year-on-year, the report added.

Tourism in BiH is a fast-growing sector and an important part of the country's economy. In recent years, BiH has seen stable growth in the number of foreign tourists.