Three Departments: Optimizing the Allocation of Natural Resources to Promote the Standardized and Orderly Development of Tourism

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on September 15, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the State Forestry and Grassland Administration issued the “Guiding Opinions on Optimizing the Allocation of Natural Resources to Promote the Standardized and Orderly Development of the Tourism Industry”. Among them, it is proposed to optimize the natural resource supply mechanism. For a single tourism project involving multiple plots of land for different purposes, it is possible to explore managing multiple plots as one parcel, approving parcel planning conditions and clarifying planning requirements for individual plots according to the plan, and issuing planning permits in accordance with the law. Within the scope of a specific territorial spatial plan, those involving the overall use of two or more types of natural resource assets, such as land, minerals, oceans, forests, etc., to develop the tourism industry can explore the integrated formation of natural resource asset portfolios, supply them once and carry out overall operations after the supply conditions are met.

The original text is as follows:

About the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, National Forestry and Grassland Administration

Guiding Opinions on Optimizing Natural Resource Allocation to Promote Standardized and Orderly Development of Tourism

Natural resources, culture and tourism, forestry and grassland authorities of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Natural Resources Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism, and the Forestry and Grassland Administration:

In order to implement the work arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council to promote high-quality tourism development, implement the spirit of the National Service Industry Conference, give full play to the fundamental role of territorial spatial planning, and optimize the allocation of natural resources, the following opinions are put forward:

1. Strengthen the spatial coordination of tourism development. Strengthen the guiding and restraining role of territorial spatial planning on various special plans, and scientifically lay out tourism development space in accordance with territorial spatial planning. Combining physical examination and evaluation of territorial spatial planning and dynamic maintenance, without breaking through binding indicators such as “three zones and three lines” and bottom line control requirements, the spatial requirements of the “15th Five-Year Plan” tourism development are integrated into natural resource management and the “one map” (hereinafter referred to as “one map”) of territorial spatial planning in accordance with positive optimization standards, and scientific site selection is carried out collaboratively. Detailed plans for scenic spots are incorporated into the territorial spatial planning system to support the preparation of detailed territorial spatial plans in the region where they are located. After review and approval by provincial natural resources, forestry and grassland authorities and legal review procedures for detailed planning, they are reported to the department or local people's government with approval authority in accordance with regulations.

2. Improve regulations on the use of tourist land. Implement the main functional area strategy and promote the coordination and unification of efficient use of cultural and tourism resources with historical and cultural protection in areas rich in historical and cultural resources. For tourism development needs, land for public facility business outlets such as gas stations, service areas, post stations, etc. that are far from the sporadic layout of towns allows the layout of independent urban construction land outside of urban development boundaries to improve the tourism service system.

For those that meet the following conditions, it is possible to manage in situ and include a “map” to strengthen implementation and supervision, involving the use of woodland and grassland that meets forestry and prairie standards and procedures: including small and sporadic tourism supporting service facilities (tourism management houses, ecotourism toilets, overhead walkways, boardwalks, etc.); they mainly provide services such as berths, water, electricity, sewage, etc., and do not affect forest growth or hardened ground; simple motorhome camps that do not change the nature of the original area; country parks, tourist attractions, and other leisure facilities that do not change the nature of the original area, a natural landscape functional site for popular science education. Support ecotourism activities such as camping, hiking, sightseeing, research, and forest rehabilitation outside the core reserves of nature reserves within the Red Line of Ecological Protection. Research and add new types of land adapted to the development of the tourism industry to the classification of territorial spatial planning uses, and implement differentiated control policies. Parks and tourist attractions located within the central urban area of cities and counties are included in the overall statistics of urban park and green space indicators.

3. Optimize natural resource supply mechanisms. For a single tourism project involving multiple plots of land for different purposes, it is possible to explore managing multiple plots as one parcel, approving parcel planning conditions and clarifying planning requirements for individual plots according to the plan, and issuing planning permits in accordance with the law. Within the scope of a specific territorial spatial plan, those involving the overall use of two or more types of natural resource assets, such as land, minerals, oceans, forests, etc., to develop the tourism industry can explore the integrated formation of natural resource asset portfolios, supply them once and carry out overall operations after the supply conditions are met.

4. Encourage the use of existing space to develop the tourism industry. Each region formulates criteria for identifying inefficient tourist land in conjunction with actual research, thoroughly evaluates the situation of inefficient tourist land, identifies shortcomings in spatial management issues, combines regional advantages and characteristics, resource asset conditions, etc., to clarify the direction of functional improvement and spatial optimization, and support the development of complex business formats such as cultural tourism, sports, etc. Where requirements such as planning, control, safety, etc. are met, land rights holders using existing real estate to set up cultural and tourism reception facilities may keep the original land use and type of rights unchanged; where land rights holders apply for land use procedures, they can be processed by agreement upon approval. On the premise of not changing the subject of land use and planning conditions (excluding the nature of land use), those who use space such as existing industrial land, old factory buildings, etc. to develop cultural and tourism conditions can enjoy a transition support policy for the use of land within 5 years according to the original use and type of rights.

5. Improve the effectiveness of services and supervision. Local departments in charge of culture and tourism at all levels should strengthen the verification of tourism projects, and departments in charge of natural resources, forestry and grassland should actively participate in early project inspection in accordance with the requirement of “follow the plan”, actively intervene before the project formulation and decision-making stages, and strengthen the review and opinions on the proposed location, construction scale, land use, etc. According to actual needs, strengthen surveys of regional natural and cultural resources, grasp information such as ownership, quantity, area, spatial location, and utilization status of characteristic resources, and incorporate them into “one map” to provide a scientific basis for regulating tourism development and the transformation of the “two mountains”. The construction of various tourism projects should fully verify market conditions and risks, factor guarantee conditions, capital investment and return, etc., to prevent repeated construction at a low level, and not engage in “image engineering.” Land use is determined in strict accordance with the territorial spatial plan. It is strictly prohibited to use the name of tourism projects to change the current status and planned use of the land without permission to use it to build villas, private estates, golf courses, theme parks, antique towns (towns, villages, streets), antique landscape buildings, etc.

Ministry of Natural Resources Ministry of Culture and Tourism State Forestry and Grassland Administration

July 23, 2026

This article was selected from the “Ministry of Natural Resources” official website, Zhitong Finance Editor: Feng Qiuyi.