Three Ministries Issue Guidance on Optimizing Natural Resource Allocation for Orderly Tourism Devel…
China's Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and National Forestry and Grassland Administration jointly issued guidance on optimizing natural resource allocation to promote orderly tourism development. The document covers spatial planning, land-use regulation, resource supply, reuse of existing space, and service supervision. It requires integrating 15th Five-Year Plan tourism spatial needs into the national territorial spatial planning 'one map', allows certain tourism support facilities outside urban development boundaries or managed under original land categories, supports eco-tourism activities such as camping, hiking, and study tours outside core protected ar…
Impact and considerations
The guidance provides a clearer policy framework for tourism land use and natural resource access, affecting site selection and compliance for scenic areas, campsites, and eco-tourism. Businesses should monitor changes in land classification, approval procedures, and transition policies.
Key points
- Integrate 15th Five-Year Plan tourism spatial needs into the national territorial spatial planning 'one map' for coordinated site selection.
- Allow land for scattered gas stations, service areas, and驿站 outside urban development boundaries as independent urban construction land.
- Small-scale tourism support facilities and simple RV campsites may be managed under original land categories, with forestry and grassland procedures required where applicable.
- Support eco-tourism activities such as camping, hiking, sightseeing, study tours, and forest wellness outside core protected areas within ecological red lines.
- Cultural tourism projects using existing industrial land or old factories can enjoy a five-year transition policy maintaining original land use and rights.
- Strictly prohibit using tourism projects as a pretext to change land use for villas, private manors, real estate, golf courses, theme parks, and similar developments.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- 中国旅游新闻网
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 15 Sept 2026, 08:00
- Page published
- 16 Sept 2026, 00:05
- Last updated
- 15 Sept 2026, 08:00
- Original links
- China Tourism News：三部门发布《关于优化自然资源配置 推动旅游业规范有序发展的指导意见》-中国旅游新闻网Document (opens in a new tab)Primary source · zh · Published 15 Sept 2026, 08:00