China to pilot national tourism routes themed on cultural heritage

BEIJING, May 6 -- China will build three to five national tourism routes themed on cultural heritage on a trial basis during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), said an inter-agency circular issued Saturday.

Underpinned by immovable cultural relics, these tourism routes will feature certain historical and cultural subjects and organically integrate relevant elements into a whole, according to the circular jointly released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Development and Reform Commission.

The tourism routes will also be interconnected with the construction of national cultural parks and relevant national strategies and focus on boosting the cohesive energy and global appeal of the Chinese culture.

The circular also urged efforts to examine and analyze the status of cultural heritage protection and management, establish a list of immovable cultural relics resources that are open for use, and maximize the integration of eligible cultural relics into the tourism routes.