China Outlines 15th Five-Year Plan Roadmap for Culture and Tourism

Key points

• The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has drafted 15th Five-Year Plan programs for culture and tourism development and for building a tourism powerhouse, plus specialized plans for the arts, public cultural services, intangible cultural heritage protection, and cultural industries.
• During the 14th Five-Year Plan, national cultural industry revenue grew 8.4% annually on average, reaching RMB 20.8 trillion in 2025.
• In 2025, domestic trips reached 6.52 billion and total spending RMB 6.3 trillion, both record highs.
• By end-2025, China had 3,253 public libraries, 7,188 registered museums, and nearly 44,000 mass cultural institutions.
• In 2025, museums nationwide received 1.56 billion visits and public libraries recorded 1.47 billion circulations.
• During the 15th Five-Year Plan, a second national intangible cultural heritage census will be conducted to build a master catalogue, with support for heritage stations and heritage lifestyle venues.
• For inbound tourism, facilitation will be improved in visas, payments, tax refunds, guiding, accommodation, and transport.
• The plan will advance intelligent, green, and integrated development, cultivating culture and tourism as pillar, livelihood, and wellbeing industries.