A moviegoer touches the screen to get tickets on a self-service machine at a cinema in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou province, Jan 29, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's consumption sector posted a strong recovery in early 2023, with the high-end and mid to high-end discretionary service sectors performing impressively, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

China's offline consumer service sectors, including tourism, movies and catering, which were hit severely by the COVID-19 epidemic, saw a strong rebound in demand during the Spring Festival holiday, it said.

Fitch Ratings expected domestic demand for catering, tourism, beauty services, and cultural and entertainment activities to recover steadily in 2023

Domestic tourist trips recovered to around 90 percent of the 2019 level, while tourism spending was at 73 percent due to ticket discounts.

ALSO READ: China focuses on boosting consumption

China's box office achieved the second-highest take on record, and the number of cinema visits was only slightly below the 2019 level, said Fitch Ratings. Catering dine-in consumption grew by 15.4 percent year-on-year during the holiday, with average restaurant spending up by 10.8 percent, Fitch Ratings revealed, citing data from the Ministry of Commerce.

READ MORE: China's rosy economic prospects boost global growth confidence

Fitch Ratings expected domestic demand for catering, tourism, beauty services, and cultural and entertainment activities to recover steadily in 2023.