乡村旅游 (xiāngcūn lǚyóu): Countryside tourism

Seventeen central government departments including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and National Development and Reform Commission have jointly issued guidelines on promoting the sustainable development of countryside tourism.

The document calls for further improving the tourism infrastructure and public service facilities in rural areas, improving the overall quality of countryside tourism and establishing a more reasonable and sound development mode for countryside tourism that benefits both the rural areas and rural residents.

The guidelines advance five measures to support the sustainable development of countryside tourism as part of efforts to promote the rejuvenation of rural areas: promoting regional coordinated development, improving infrastructure and public service, promoting the environment and convenience of countryside tourism, providing more tourism products and building countryside tourism brands, in order to help improve the livelihoods and well-being of rural residents.

The document emphasizes adhering to the principles of putting the ecology first, being people-oriented as well as development based on actual local conditions.

In particular, it calls for the development of countryside tourism as part of poverty alleviation efforts. Rural residents should be able to enjoy more benefits from local tourism in order to encourage their enthusiasm for countryside tourism.