First China-led international tourism standards released

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism explained details revolving around the new international standards for tourism information and consultation services on Thursday.

The standards were officially released by the International Organization for Standardization on Nov 13 and China played a leading part in their formulation.

The standards cover six key areas of tourism information and consultation services — main content, work requirements, destination promotions, service personnel, infrastructure, and the management of suggestions and complaints.

This is the first time China has led the ISO international tourism standards, marking a significant milestone in promoting global sustainable tourism development, according to authorities.

It also signifies a new chapter for China's tourism standardization efforts on the international stage, contributing Chinese expertise to the high-quality development of the tourism industry, the officials say.

Compared to previous standards, these new standards demonstrate significant improvements in broadening the range of entities providing tourism information and consultation services and expanding the scope of information provided, including ticket purchasing, currency exchange, health services, safety measures, and foreign language support. They also direct tourism information and consultation service providers to leverage modern information technology and use online channels to offer more comprehensive consultation services aimed at providing tourists with a more efficient travel planning experience.