CCTV News:Reporters learned from the National Standards Commission on June 6 that,Four national standards: “Requirements for Senior Tourism Services by Travel Agencies”, “Specification for Accessible Tourism Services – Tourist Hotels”, “Requirements for Smart Operation and Management of Tourist Attractions”, and “Service Quality Requirements for Tourism Shopping Places”were officially released recently.

The new national standards cover four major tourism sectors: travel agencies, tourist hotels, tourist attractions, and tourism shopping places, integrating the six elements of tourism (eating, lodging, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment). They take into account the diverse travel needs of various groups including the elderly, special groups, and ordinary tourists. Let’s take a closer look at what changes these national standards will bring to our future travel.

Senior Travel No Longer “Falling into Pitfalls”

New National Standards Set Rules for Silver Hair Travel

As the aging process of our population continues to accelerate and the elderly group continues to expand, senior tourism has become an important way for the elderly to engage in cultural leisure and wellness. The national standard “Requirements for Senior Tourism Services by Travel Agencies” aims to meet the needs of the elderly for safety, comfort, and convenience in tourism services.

The standard proposes full-process age-friendly design, covering eating, lodging, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment, applicable to all domestic senior group tours. It requires itinerary design to fit the physiological and psychological characteristics of the elderly, with a gentle pace and reasonable rest arrangements. Health assessments like medical check-ups should not be a threshold for joining the group; instead, itineraries should be customized based on the health status of the elderly.

The new national standard innovatively adds two new positions: senior reception specialist and travel safety officer. Personnel are allocated based on group size, and it is clearly required that relevant personnel must undergo professional training and assessment before taking up their posts, thereby enhancing overall service and safety assurance capabilities.

Liu Jianming, Director of the Tourism Quality Supervision and Administration Institute of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said: “The elderly may face some safety risks. This standard requires travel agencies to arrange corresponding safety personnel, who can be part-time or full-time, to ensure the travel experience.”

The new national standard also strictly regulates shopping activities: no temporary shopping shall be arranged without the active written request of elderly tourists. At the same time, it is necessary to improve risk prevention and emergency plans, keep complaint channels open, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of elderly tourists.

The implementation of the standard helps guide travel agencies to standardize their business behavior, forces them to improve service processes, and enhances professional service capabilities. It also provides clear technical basis for supervision, facilitating inspection and supervision, and regulating market order.

Focus on Four New National Standards in the Tourism Field:

First National Standard for Accessible Hotels to Be Implemented in August This Year

Reporters have learned,There are currently nearly 500 million people in China with mobility restrictions, including the elderly, disabled, pregnant women, and infants. The first national standard for accessible tourist hotels in China— “Specification for Accessible Tourism Services – Tourist Hotels” —released this time will be implemented on August 1, 2026.How will the standard benefit these mobility-restricted groups and solve the practical problems they often face when staying out, such as poor access, difficult-to-use facilities, and lack of information? Let’s continue with the reporter’s report.

The standard specifies the general requirements for accessible tourist hotels, general accessibility rules, accessible services, accessible personnel, and evaluation and improvement of accessible services.

Du Lanxiao, President of Zhejiang Tourism College, said: “Previous standards mostly focused only on people with disabilities, but this time it breaks this limitation, clearly including groups with special needs such as the elderly, disabled, pregnant women, and infants.”

In the formulation process, the standard referenced relevant international standards and simultaneously absorbed practical experience in China’s accessible environment construction and tourism service management, ensuring both international universality and alignment with domestic hotel operations, achieving “global standards, localized in China.”

Du Lanxiao introduced that they have formulated clear accessibility standards for 18 core categories of hotel facilities, covering entrances/exits, parking spaces, ramps, elevator handrails, public restrooms, etc., all with specified dimensions, heights, and signage.

Reporters have learned that some domestic hotels have already begun to adjust and improve relevant hardware and service items in accordance with the new national standard requirements.

Du Lanxiao said that the standard provides unified specifications for tourist hotels nationwide, effectively solving the travel and accommodation difficulties of special groups, guaranteeing the right to equal travel, and can stimulate new potential in the silver economy and accessible consumption, putting age-friendly practices into effect.

Four New National Standards in Tourism Released:

First Clear Definition of “Smart Operation and Management”

Tourist attractions are the core carriers of tourism activities. Currently, various regions are promoting smart operation of scenic spots. The new national standard “Requirements for Smart Operation and Management of Tourist Attractions” sets normative requirements on how to effectively improve timely and accurate risk warning capabilities and protect the collection, transmission, and security of important data such as tourist identities and payment information.

The standard covers six core technical areas: infrastructure, data management, smart management, smart services, smart marketing, and smart experience, fully covering the entire process of smart construction, operation, management, and service of scenic spots.This standard provides the first clear definition of “smart operation and management”: an operation management model that comprehensively applies new-generation information technologies to achieve intelligent perception, dynamic analysis, intelligent decision-making, and real-time optimization of operation management activities.

Huo Jianjun, Chairman of the China Tourist Attractions Association, introduced that the entire compilation of the standard emphasizes data security and safety emergency management as prerequisites. It guides scenic spots to securely process important data such as tourist identities and payment information, ensuring the security of tourism data throughout its lifecycle including collection, transmission, storage, access, use, and destruction. At the same time, it guides scenic spots to build a comprehensive safety assurance system, achieving closed-loop management from daily risk warning to unified dispatch of emergencies.

The standard requires scenic spots to establish real-time passenger flow monitoring systems, conduct intelligent monitoring of instantaneous passenger flow gathering areas, and provide timely warnings and guidance. At the same time, an integrated emergency command center should be established, integrating monitoring, communication, and dispatch systems to uniformly command and dispatch rescue forces. Emergency communication networks including satellite communication and wireless communication should be built to ensure smooth communication in emergencies. Information technology should be used to manage maximum carrying capacity, achieving automatic warning and reporting.

Huo Jianjun introduced that the standard also adds age-friendly navigation interfaces and accessible facility navigation content, ensuring that elderly tourists and people with disabilities can easily use the smart systems.

The standard clarifies that scenic spots can design smart experience products such as immersive performances and light-and-shadow night tours based on their own characteristics, but the content of the products must not affect the authenticity of cultural heritage, the theme should match the scenic spot’s culture, and the appearance design should be coordinated with the environmental style.

Four New National Standards in Tourism Released:

Promoting Tourism Shopping from “Passive” to “Active” Consumption

Tourism shopping is a key link in the cultural tourism industry chain with high consumption elasticity and strong driving effects. It is also an important carrier for expanding consumption, stabilizing employment, and benefiting people’s livelihoods in the life service industry.The new version of “Service Quality Requirements for Tourism Shopping Places” will promote tourism shopping from “passive consumption” to “active enjoyment of shopping”.

The standard specifies the basic requirements for tourism shopping places, as well as requirements for service venues, service facilities, service functions, service norms, and tourism commodities. It applies to all types of places providing shopping services for tourists.

For shopping consumption, which tourists are most concerned about, the standard requires that all tourism commodities in tourism shopping places have complete certificates such as certificates of conformity, with traceable records and clear pricing, no counterfeit, inferior, or high-imitation brand-name goods. At the same time, a comprehensive after-sales service system should be established and promises fulfilled. Services such as product returns, exchanges, and warranty should be provided according to relevant regulations, with return and exchange services completed within 48 hours. In addition, there should be dedicated personnel for visitor complaints, with complaint files, complete complaint handling records, complaint feedback and analysis reports, and daily visitor satisfaction monitoring, with a satisfaction rate of no less than 95%.

The standard expands the service targets from group tourists to all tourists, covering diverse groups such as individual travelers, free independent travelers, and family groups. It adds an independent chapter, incorporating cultural displays, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and folk activities into core requirements, clearly specifying that tourism shopping places should hold no less than 12 annual themed activities, with cultural experience activities accounting for no less than 50%, and expand extended services such as light meals, rest, study tours, and volunteers, promoting the transformation of places from “selling goods” to “selling services, experiences, and culture.”

Related Reading:Requirements for Senior Tourism Services by Travel Agencies

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