Three departments: Optimize natural resource allocation to promote standardized and orderly development of the tourism industry.

On September 15, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued the Guiding Opinions on Optimizing the Allocation of Natural Resources and Promoting the Standardized and Orderly Development of the Tourism Industry. Among other things, it proposed optimizing the natural resource supply mechanism. For a single tourism project involving multiple parcels of land with different uses, exploration may be made to manage the multiple parcels as one parcel, verify the planning conditions of the parcel according to planning and clarify the planning requirements for each individual parcel, and issue planning permits in accordance with the law. Within the scope of a specific territorial spatial plan, where the development of the tourism industry involves the integrated use of two or more categories of natural resource assets such as land, minerals, sea areas, and forests, exploration may be made to coordinate and form a combined target of natural resource assets, supply them in one go after the supply conditions are met, and implement integrated operations. The original text is as follows: Guiding Opinions of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Optimizing the Allocation of Natural Resources and Promoting the Standardized and Orderly Development of the Tourism Industry To the competent departments of natural resources, culture and tourism, and forestry and grassland of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and the Natural Resources Bureau, Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, and Forestry and Grassland Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps: In order to implement the work arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on promoting the high-quality development of the tourism industry, implement the spirit of the National Service Industry Conference, give play to the foundational role of territorial spatial planning, and optimize the allocation of natural resource factors, the following opinions are hereby put forward: I. Strengthen spatial coordination for the development of the tourism industry. Strengthen the guiding and constraining role of territorial spatial planning over various special plans, and scientifically lay out the space for tourism development in accordance with territorial spatial planning. In conjunction with the physical examination, evaluation, and dynamic maintenance of territorial spatial planning, and on the premise of not breaking through binding indicators and bottom-line control requirements such as the "three zones and three lines," incorporate the spatial needs of tourism development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" into the "one map" of natural resource management and territorial spatial planning (hereinafter referred to as the "one map") in accordance with positive optimization standards, and carry out scientific site selection in a coordinated manner. Incorporate the detailed plans of scenic and historic areas into the territorial spatial planning system, support their combined preparation with the detailed territorial spatial plans of the areas where they are located, and after review and consent by the provincial competent departments of natural resources and forestry and grassland and after the statutory review procedures for detailed plans, submit them for approval in accordance with regulations to the department or local people's government with approval authority. II. Improve use control for tourism land. Implement the major function-oriented zone strategy, and demonstrate and promote the coordinated unity of efficient utilization of cultural and tourism resources and the protection of historical and cultural heritage in areas rich in historical and cultural resources. For land for public facility business outlets such as gas stations, service areas, and stations that are needed for tourism development and are scattered far away from towns, independent urban construction land may be allowed to be laid out outside the urban development boundary, so as to improve the tourism service system. For cases that meet the following circumstances, they may be managed according to the original land category and included in the "one map" to strengthen implementation supervision. Where forest land or grassland is involved, it is necessary to meet the direct service standards for forestry and grassland and complete the procedures: including small and scattered tourism supporting service facilities (tourism management rooms, eco-tourism toilets, elevated walkways, boardwalks, etc.); simple RV campsites that mainly provide services such as parking spaces, water and electricity, and sewage discharge, and that do not affect the growth of trees and do not harden the ground; and land for suburban parks, tourist attractions, and other natural landscape functional uses with recreational and educational functions that does not change the nature of the original land category. Support ecological tourism activities such as camping, hiking, sightseeing, study tours, and forest health and wellness within the ecological protection red line and outside the core protection areas of protected natural areas. In the classification of territorial spatial planning uses, study the addition of new land categories adapted to the development of the tourism industry and implement differentiated control policies. Parks and tourist attractions located within the central urban areas of cities and counties shall be included as a whole in the statistics for urban park green space indicators. III. Optimize the natural resource supply mechanism. For a single tourism project involving multiple parcels of land with different uses, exploration may be made to manage the multiple parcels as one parcel, verify the planning conditions of the parcel according to planning and clarify the planning requirements for each individual parcel, and issue planning permits in accordance with the law. Within the scope of a specific territorial spatial plan, where the development of the tourism industry involves the integrated use of two or more categories of natural resource assets such as land, minerals, sea areas, and forests, exploration may be made to coordinate and form a combined target of natural resource assets, supply them in one go after the supply conditions are met, and implement integrated operations. IV. Encourage the use of existing space to develop the tourism industry. All localities shall, in light of actual conditions, study and formulate standards for identifying inefficient tourism land, conduct in-depth assessments of inefficient tourism land, accurately identify shortcomings in spatial governance, and, in light of regional advantages and characteristics and resource and asset conditions, clarify the direction of functional improvement and spatial optimization, and support the development of composite business formats such as culture, tourism, sports, and commerce. Under the premise of complying with planning control, safety, and other requirements, where land rights holders use existing real estate to establish cultural and tourism reception facilities, the original land use and type of right may remain unchanged; where land rights holders apply to complete land use procedures, this may be handled by agreement upon approval. On the premise of not changing the land use subject and planning conditions (except land use nature), where existing industrial land, old factory buildings, and other spaces are used to develop cultural and tourism business formats, they may enjoy the transitional support policy of using the land according to the original use and type of right for 5 years. V. Improve service and regulatory effectiveness. Local competent departments of culture and tourism at all levels shall strengthen the demonstration of tourism projects. Competent departments of natural resources and forestry and grassland shall, in accordance with the requirement that "projects follow planning," actively participate in the early-stage screening of projects, proactively intervene before the project approval and decision-making stage, and strengthen review and put forward opinions on the proposed location, construction scale, land use, and so on. According to actual needs, strengthen surveys of regionally distinctive natural and cultural resources, grasp information such as ownership, quantity, area, spatial location, and current use status of distinctive resources, and incorporate it into the "one map," so as to provide a scientific basis for standardizing tourism development and the transformation of "two mountains." The construction of various tourism projects shall fully demonstrate market conditions and risks, factor guarantee conditions, and capital input and returns, prevent low-level repetitive construction, and refrain from pursuing "image projects." Strictly determine land use in accordance with territorial spatial planning, and it is strictly prohibited to arbitrarily change the current land status and planned use under the name of tourism projects for building villas, private manors, real estate, golf courses, theme parks, imitation ancient cities (towns, villages, streets), landscape-style imitation ancient buildings, and so on. Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, National Forestry and Grassland Administration July 23, 2026 This article is excerpted from the official website of the "Ministry of Natural Resources." GMTEight editor: Feng Qiuyi.