The southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing has the most homestays in China, according to an industry report. The capital Beijing, followed by Xi'an, located in central China's Shaanxi Province, came in second and third respectively, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday.

Rooms, owners, environment, transportation and supporting facilities are what tourists paid the most attention to when choosing a homestay, according to the report by Beijing International Studies University. Since homestays are non-standard facilities, most are incomplete in the services they offer other than accommodation.

The report showed that online searches for homestays had increased year by year. Recently, keyword searches for "homestay" appeared more frequently than "hotel".

The report indicated there exists a huge market potential in developing high-end homestays. Currently, economical homestays occupied a comparatively large market share.

Based on data analysis, the report showed that male guests aged 20-29 were the main demographic of homestay users, though users in general were getting younger.

Airbnb, an online global homestay platform, is popular among younger users, the report showed. Couples, families and groups of friends are types of travelers who frequently prefer homestay.

(Cover: A homestay room in Beijing. /VCG Photo)