Foreign tourist show Chinese desserts they just bought in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, Sept 4, 2013. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

BEIJING - The number of inbound tourists from emerging markets surged year on year in July, while visitors from developed countries continued to decline, according to National Tourism Administration data.

The number of visitors from Vietnam, Thailand, and India grew 13.86 percent, 11.29 percent and 10.78 percent, respectively, in July. Tourists from Mexico grew 6.42 percent, according to the figures.

Visitor numbers from the Unites States, Japan, Korea, Australia and Canada dropped, the data showed. The slow economic recovery in developed countries led to decreasing tourist numbers from these nations.

Tourism industry experts said China should work harder to attract visitors from emerging markets, including the other four economies of the BRICS group - Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.