Chinese research fellows said on Sunday that they have measured the effects of air quality on the number of inbound tourists, calling for more attention to air pollution reduction.

The research fellows looked at the proportion of days each year on which air quality met the official standard. For each 1-percent drop in the number of good air days, the number of inbound tourists fell by about 443,550 people, according to the 2014 China Tourism Development Report released by the Wuhan Chapter of the China Tourism Academy.

Research fellow Hu Jing, chief of the Wuhan Chapter, said that air quality had become a pivotal factor in people's travel decisions.

According to the report, more than 80 percent of respondents said they would avoid tourism destinations prone to smog. More than 70 percent of respondents also said they would schedule their travel based on the air quality index. The report indicated that air quality heavily influences visitors' travel experiences, with more than 90 percent saying that smog ruins their sightseeing plans and their mood.

China began to include PM2.5 levels, a key indicator of air pollution, and ozone measurements in its new air quality standards in 2013.

Statistics showed that in 74 cities, 60.3 percent of days during the first half of the year saw air quality levels that met standards, higher than the 58.7 percent recorded last year.