China plans 'toilet revolution' to boost
tourism
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[December 27, 2016]
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said it
will boost investment in tourism, with plans to develop rustbelt regions
and upgrade public toilets high on its to-do list as it looks to lift
the sector's contribution to economic growth.
Announcing a new plan for the sector, China said it aims to invest 2
trillion yuan ($290 billion) in tourism between 2016 and 2020 which
would translate to annual growth of more than 14 percent in direct
investment in the industry.
Old industrial and resource-dependent cities, particularly in the north
of the country, will be encouraged to develop tourism and the government
has promised to set up "demonstration tourist bases" in those areas.
Several depleted coal cities have already made efforts to turn defunct
mines into parks.
The plan also promised a "toilet revolution", prompted by wide-spread
complaints about toilet hygiene levels at China's tourist spots and said
the country would aim to build or renovate as many as 100,000 public
toilets over the period.
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The investment will help China's emerging tourism industry account for
12 percent of annual economic growth by 2020, up from 10.8 percent last
year, the country's cabinet said.
The total sum of tourism services purchased by the country is set to
reach 7 trillion yuan ($1 trillion) by 2020, equivalent to more than an
11 percent increase in tourism revenue per year, the State Council said.
The government predicted domestic travelers would take 6.4 billion trips
annually by 2020, up from 4 billion in 2015, while the number of trips
to China by overseas travelers is set to rise to 150 million, from 134
million last year.
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![](../images/122716pics/news_o19.jpg)
A restroom mainly made of glass opens to public at a park to attract
tourists in Changsha, Hunan province, China September 29, 2016/
REUTERS/Stringer/File photo
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China's state planner said this month that tourism investment
targets will be met by attracting more private investment into the
industry.
China has been keen to develop and expand services industries to
offset the impact of persistently weak global demand for its
exports.
(Reporting by Yawen Chen and David Stanway; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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