'15th Five-Year' Plan for Building a Tourism Powerhouse Released
The State Council approved the '15th Five-Year' Plan for Building a Tourism Powerhouse, a systematic deployment for China's medium- and long-term tourism development.
Your department's request for instructions "On Submitting the 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Strong Tourism Nation (Draft for Review)" (Wenlü Ziyuan Bao [2026] No. 38) has been received. The reply is as follows:
I. In principle, the "15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Strong Tourism Nation" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") is approved; please earnestly organize its implementation.
II. The implementation of the Plan must adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and all its successive plenary sessions, earnestly put into effect the arrangements of the Fourth Plenary Session, comprehensively implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, uphold tourism for the people, take promoting high-quality development as the theme, take advancing the deep integration of culture and tourism as the main line, and coordinate government and market, supply and demand, protection and development, domestic and international, and development and security. It must focus on improving the modern tourism industry system, optimize the spatial layout of tourism, cultivate new momentum for tourism development, enrich tourism supply, unleash consumption potential, improve service quality, advance high-efficiency governance, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in the tourism field, so as to accelerate the building of a strong tourism nation and make tourism better serve a better life, promote economic development, build a spiritual home, showcase China's image, and enhance mutual learning among civilizations.
III. The people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government must earnestly strengthen organizational leadership, clarify the division of responsibilities, improve working mechanisms, give play to their own advantages, and refine tasks and measures in light of local conditions. They must closely link the important tasks and reform measures specified in the Plan with the economic and social development of their regions during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and ensure that the various goals, tasks, policies, and measures of the Plan are put into effect. Important policies, major projects, and key projects involved in the implementation of the Plan must be submitted for approval in accordance with procedures.
IV. The relevant departments of the State Council must, according to the division of duties, strengthen coordination and cooperation, enhance work guidance, provide active support in the formulation of policies and measures and the arrangement of major projects, and promptly study and resolve problems encountered in the implementation of the Plan. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism must strengthen overall coordination and enhance dynamic monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Plan. Major matters must be promptly reported to the Party Central Committee and the State Council for instructions in accordance with procedures.
Tourism has increasingly become an emerging strategic pillar industry and a livelihood industry and happiness industry with distinctive characteristics of the times. In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, accelerate the building of a strong tourism nation, and promote the steady and enduring high-quality development of the tourism industry, this Plan is formulated in accordance with the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China.
Adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and all its successive plenary sessions, earnestly put into effect the arrangements of the Fourth Plenary Session, deeply study and practice Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, uphold tourism for the people, take promoting high-quality development as the theme, take advancing the deep integration of culture and tourism as the main line, and coordinate government and market, supply and demand, protection and development, domestic and international, and development and security. Promote intelligentization, greening, and integration, focus on improving the modern tourism industry system, and accelerate the building of a strong tourism nation, so as to make tourism better serve a better life, promote economic development, build a spiritual home, showcase China's image, and enhance mutual learning among civilizations.
In the work, the following must be achieved: uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, promote innovation in systems and mechanisms, development models, products, and business forms, and stimulate the internal driving force and vitality of the tourism industry; hold fast to the bottom line of ideological security, and carry forward and practice the core socialist values; adhere to protection first, and promote resource protection and tourism development in a way that brings out the best in each other; build a solid defense line for safe production, and effectively safeguard the personal and property safety of the broad masses of tourists. Uphold improving quality and efficiency, deepen supply-side structural reform, focus on demand pull, optimize the industrial structure and factor allocation, revitalize existing stock, and improve incremental quality; give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation and better play the role of the government; uphold systematic thinking, advance co-construction and sharing by hosts and guests, and promote the unity of social, economic, and ecological benefits. Uphold integrated development, persist in shaping tourism with culture and highlighting culture through tourism, continue to promote the integrated development of culture and tourism across a wider scope, at a deeper level, and at a higher level, vigorously develop the cultural tourism industry, and empower economic and social development with culture; promote cross-sector integration and expand the space for industrial development. Uphold high-quality experience, comply with the trend of strengthening demand for experiential consumption, focus on "investing in people," launch more tourism products and services that offer good experiences and evoke empathy, and make the people's travel more reassuring, enjoyable, and comfortable, so that they can better appreciate the beauty of nature, perceive the beauty of culture, and cultivate the beauty of the soul.
(This article is compiled based on a publicly released article by the Tibet Autonomous Region Department of Culture and Tourism; see the link at the beginning of the article for the original.)