Tourism Infrastructure

China plans to boost its tourism sector by upgrading its infrastructure and giving the public easier access to travel information, a government document said on March 1.

The National Tourism Administration unveiled the plan in a development guideline for the tourism industry during the 2016-2020 period. It echoes the country’s national strategy to spur the service sector.

According to the document, by 2020, roads to the country’s major tourist attractions will be renovated to meet growing travel demand. Large tourist destinations will have easier internal transportation.

In the next four years, the country will add 20 inter-region bike lanes with a total length of 5,000 km to boost zero-emission travel.

Toilets at tourist sites have long had a nasty reputation. Visitors have complained of a toilet shortage, unhygienic conditions, and lack of sanitation workers.

To address the problem, the country aims to install and upgrade 100,000 restrooms. Toilets at major tourist sites will have stringent hygiene standards with environmentally friendly cleaning approaches at most facilities.

The document also outlines plans to build a more integrated information sharing system and provide visitors higher-quality services.

China’s tourism revenue totaled about 4.69 trillion yuan ($689.7 billion) in 2016, up 13.6 percent year on year. Domestic tourists made 4.44