Top 10 China tourism stories in 2017

The China National Tourism Administration's top 10 tourism stories in China in 2017:

1. President Xi Jinping gives instructions on the toilet revolution and tourism development

On Nov 21, 2017, President Xi Jinping gave instructions on how to promote the toilet revolution in the tourism industry.

He said the Chinese tourism industry has demonstrated a down-to-earth attitude toward addressing practical issues when advancing the toilet revolution over the past few years.

He said that toilet improvement is not a trivial matter, but is key to the improvement of urban and rural environments. It should not be limited to scenic zones or urban areas, but should also be extended to rural areas as part of efforts to revitalize the rural economy and improve rural living conditions.

The tourism industry has been promoting the toilet revolution since 2015, and so far, a total of 68,000 tourist toilets have been built or renovated.

2. China initiates World Tourism Alliance

The World Tourism Alliance was founded on Sept 12, 2017, and 137 tourism ministers and deputies as well as the heads of 41 international organizations attended the launch ceremony.

The alliance, initiated by the Chinese government, is the world's first global, non-governmental and nonprofit tourism organization. On Dec 17, the alliance signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the government of Zhejiang province, declaring that it would base its headquarters in Hangzhou, capital of the province.