Poverty Alleviation of National Tourism Administration of P. R. C

　　【Overview】  National Tourism Administration of P. R. C always pays much attention to poverty alleviation in tourism, promotes poverty alleviation in tourism through countryside tourism, ecological tourism and folk tourism, and regards poverty alleviation in tourism as one of the stressed in work. In 2009, National Tourism Administration of PRC went to guiding the tourism in impoverished areas with policies, projects and funds, guided product development, provided fund support and achieved obvious effect.

　　To further exert the important role of tourism in poverty alleviation in tourism, according to LGOP’s requirements, Wang Zhifa, the vice party committee secretary and vice president of National Tourism Administration of PRC, became a member of LGOP. To boost poverty alleviation in tourism, National Tourism Administration of PRC set up a special working body, and planned poverty alleviation in tourism as one of the stressed jobs in 2009. In March 2009, Wang Zhifa, the vice president of National Tourism Administration of PRC, talk with related principals of LGOP, about the poverty alleviation in tourism in the new ear to implement the “Decisions” made at the Third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth Central Committee, both parties reached agreement on the important role of poverty alleviation in tourism, and agreed with the 2 departments’ common poverty alleviation in tourism in future.

　　In July 2009, National Tourism Administration of PRC held national countryside tourism development conference in Huangshan, introduced the typical models and experience of countryside tourism development in China, probed the development modes of countryside tourism in impoverished areas, and summarized the new mode in which countryside tourism would boost farmers’ prosperity.

　　【Construction of experimental tourism poverty alleviation zone】  Tourism plays a more and more obvious role to promote trans-region income allocation and boost the economic development of impoverished areas. Therefore, National Tourism Administration of PRC always regards poverty alleviation as an important aspect of tourism. Through the construction of national experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones, National Tourism Administration of PRC chose pilot provinces and promoted the mode based on summarizing experience to build tourism as an important or pillar industry of related areas and benefit local residents sustainably.

　　On April, 7, 2009, National Tourism Administration of PRC and World Tourism Organization jointly held tourism poverty alleviation symposium, reached common understanding about “cooperative promotion of poverty alleviation in tourism, working system and implementation of plans”, designated Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Anhui as pilot provinces of poverty alleviation in tourism in China. Based on summarizing pilot provinces’ experience, poverty alleviation in tourism will be popularized in a wider scope across China.

　　【Investment of tourism development funds】  Project support and fund investments are the important modes for poverty alleviation in tourism of National Tourism Administration of PRC. By reinforcing the support to the construction of tourism projects in impoverished areas, the tourism development of impoverished areas plays an important role to boost employment, increase income and improve environment, etc. The practice proves that more fund investments and project support are direct and effective modes for poverty alleviation in tourism.

　　In 2009, National Tourism Administration of PRC provided tourism development fund of 100,000 Yuan for Jiangkou County, Guizhou again, for construction of tourism infrastructure. At the same time, National Tourism Administration of PRC provided tourism development funds of 11.65 million Yuan for the tourism projects in 28 key counties for national poverty alleviation and development, for construction of infrastructure and public service facilities in tourism areas.

　　【Departments cooperate to boost poverty alleviation in tourism】  For further poverty alleviation in tourism, National Tourism Administration of PRC reinforced the cooperation with LGOP and the Ministry of Agriculture, etc. In 2009, leaders of LGOP and the Ministry of Agriculture talked with leaders of LGOP many times and both sides reached agreement on poverty alleviation in tourism and formed thoughts. At the same time, National Tourism Administration of PRC reinforced the cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture, boosted the development of countryside tourism (leisure agriculture) with related divisions and bureaus of the Ministry of Agriculture, and deepened poverty alleviation in tourism. The development of countryside tourism, including building of standard system of countryside tourism products, countryside project development and operation modes, popularization of typical village/town’s experience, etc, provides industrial support for the original “experimental tourism poverty alleviation zone”.

　　【Expectation of poverty alleviation in 2010】 1. Accelerate the promotion of experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones. Insist on with “promotion of rural poverty alleviation and development” put forward in “Decisions” of the Third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth Central Committee, benefit the people in impoverished areas, take the objective principles of tourism development into consideration, plan and construct some “experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones” with sound tourism functions. In stressed poverty alleviation areas across China, develop red tourism, countryside tourism and ecological tourism with stress, incubate tourism industry, build tourism brands, develop “experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones” in conjunction with LGOP’s entire-village advancement and labor transfer training, etc, set up some “national experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones” in stressed areas and popularize the mode gradually based on getting experience.

2. Set the national standards of “experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones”. Countryside tourism is not only an important job in the new socialist countryside construction, and matches the state’s entire-village advancement thought in poverty alleviation; more important, countryside tourism is an important project of national experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones. In future, accelerate the development of “Standards of Experimental Tourism Poverty Alleviation Zones” based on “Countryside Tourism Standards” in process, to guide and boost the development and construction of experimental tourism poverty alleviation zones with standards.

3. Go on with fixed-point poverty alleviation. Reinforce the poverty alleviation in tourism in the fixed-point poverty alleviation areas of National Tourism Administration of PRC, improve public tourism services, guide and promote the tourism development in impoverished areas, and boost regional economic development.

　　(Poverty Alleviation Office, National Tourism Administration of PRC)