HANGZHOU, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The number of family inns has exceeded 16,000 with more than 150,000 beds provided in east China's Zhejiang Province, the provincial tourism bureau said in a report.

As of 2017, nearly 100,000 people from rural areas had started homestays or were employed in one, according to the report released Wednesday.

The report said total investment prior to operation reached 19.3 billion yuan (3 billion U.S. dollars), and the direct revenue hit 5.4 billion yuan. Nearly 90 percent of the inns were operated in local operators' own houses.

The province issued a guideline on family inns in 2016, supporting the business for rural revitalization and increase of farmers' income.

Zhejiang is rich in tourism resources, such as the West Lake in Hangzhou, water town of Wuzhen, Qiantang River and Qiandao Lake.