Multiple 4A Scenic Areas Downgraded or Delisted in Anhui and Inner Mongolia Under New National Stan…

Key points

• On March 1, 2025, the 'Classification of Scenic Area Quality Grades' (GB/T 17775-2024) officially took effect, adding prerequisites for grading and strengthening requirements for safety risk assessment, scenic area opening conditions, maximum carrying capacity and peak visitor flow control, emergency plans, major safety liability accidents in the past three years, and market dishonesty records.
• On September 7, the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism canceled the quality ratings of 6 4A-level scenic areas and downgraded one eco-cultural tourism zone from 4A to 3A, with issues including failure to conduct safety assessments, no operations, data falsification and landscape degradation.
• On September 12, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Department of Culture and Tourism canceled the quality ratings of 2 4A-level and 1 3A-level scenic areas, approved 2 scenic areas' applications to cancel their A-level ratings, downgraded 4 4A-level scenic areas to 3A, and issued notices of criticism to 3 scenic areas with a 6-month rectification deadline.
• The two provinces' handling logic differs: Anhui leans toward clearing out existing stock, canceling 6 4A ratings at once; Inner Mongolia leans toward tiered classification, presenting a four-layer structure of canceling those failing review, canceling upon application, downgrading 4A to 3A, and issuing notices for rectification.
• Industry signals show A-level scenic area regulation shifting from qualification dividends to operational dividends, with normalized reviews, front-loaded safety assessments, data integrity incorporated into governance, and business format renewal prioritized over merely upgrading hardware.