On December 3, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued a notice on the release of the “Action Plan for the Integrated Development of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Industry.” The full text is as follows:
Notice of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Issuing the “Action Plan for the Integrated Development of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Industry”
Culture and Tourism Departments (Bureaus) of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, all subordinate institutions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, overseas China Cultural Centers, tourism offices abroad, regional administrations of the civil aviation industry, transport (general) airlines, service guarantee companies, airport companies, and all units under the Civil Aviation Administration:
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Administration of China have formulated the “Action Plan for the Integrated Development of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Industry.” It is hereby issued to you. Please conscientiously implement it.
This notice is hereby given.
Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Civil Aviation Administration of China
November 28, 2025
Action Plan for the Integrated Development of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Industry
To promote the integrated development of culture and tourism and the civil aviation industry, further expand development space, and unleash consumption vitality, this Action Plan is formulated.
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and fully implementing the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second, Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, efforts shall be made to promote deep integration and two-way empowerment between culture and tourism and the civil aviation industry, enrich new culture-and-tourism experiences, stimulate new consumption potential, and cultivate new drivers of economic growth, so as to better meet the people’s growing needs for spiritual and cultural life and for travel. By 2027, the level of tourism travel services shall be significantly improved, international and domestic tourism air routes shall cover a wider range, integrated products and scenarios shall become richer and more diverse, and culture and tourism and the civil aviation industry shall achieve deeper, broader and higher-quality integration, forming a sound development pattern in which demand drives supply and supply creates demand.
II. Improving Tourism Travel Service Quality
(1) Optimizing an elderly-friendly, barrier-free travel environment for seniors tourism.
Airlines and airports shall be guided to upgrade elderly-friendly service measures tailored to the air-travel needs of elderly passengers, strengthen full-process service support, and be encouraged to provide services such as companion services for elderly passengers, rest areas, in-flight meals for elderly passengers, and priority seating for elderly passengers in waiting areas. A guideline for the planning and construction of barrier-free environments in passenger terminal areas of transport airports shall be prepared, and the upgrading of airport facilities to better serve the elderly shall be accelerated, so as to further improve the barrier-free travel environment.
(2) Strengthening safe and convenient travel services for study tours.
Airlines and airports shall be guided to provide convenience for study tour groups in such links as ticket purchase, seat selection, check-in, baggage check-in, security checks and boarding. Airlines and airports with suitable conditions are encouraged to provide fast-track group verification and passage services. Airports and culture and tourism enterprises are encouraged to optimize ground-transportation resources to provide convenient transfer services for study tour groups.
(3) Enhancing a warm and comfortable flying experience for parent-child tourism.
Airlines are encouraged to provide services such as family seat selection, children’s meal reservations, in-flight educational toys, children’s books and children’s audio-visual content, so as to meet the special needs of child passengers. Airports are encouraged to set up children’s play areas and parent-child interactive experience facilities in terminal buildings. Airlines and airports are supported in providing customized services based on the travel characteristics of families with multiple children.
(4) Improving caring service measures for ice-and-snow tourism.
Airports in ice-and-snow tourism destinations are encouraged to adopt heating measures in passenger areas under extremely cold weather conditions, give priority to the use of passenger boarding bridges for flights on routes with large temperature differences, add changing points, and provide services such as rental, sale and delivery of cold-proof clothing and heating supplies. Airlines and airports are supported in optimizing baggage-system equipment and facilities, improving the check-in and claim services for ice-and-snow tourism equipment, and promoting value-added “door-to-door” delivery services for ski and snow-sports equipment.
(5) Further improving the level of facilitation for inbound tourism.
Policies and measures aimed at improving the convenience of entry and travel for foreign tourists shall continue to be implemented, and publicity and promotion of “immediate tax refund upon purchase” departure-tax-refund services shall be strengthened. Major domestic airlines and hub airports shall be encouraged to improve facilitation services for boarding, entry and transfer, and to strengthen guidance and assistance for passengers coming to China on international flights. Foreign-language signage and way-finding facilities in airports shall be improved, and hub airports are encouraged to provide rental services for portable translation devices. Mechanisms to simplify procedures at hub-airport level shall be established, and the coverage of international through-check flight services shall be expanded.
III. Optimizing Tourism Routes and Service Facilities
(6) Enhancing the accessibility of domestic tourism travel.
More tourism cities shall be incorporated into the air-transport service network featuring connection between trunk and feeder routes and linkage across the entire network. Airlines shall be encouraged to open mutual flights between regional airports of popular tourist destinations, circular routes, “air-express” routes and border-tourism routes. Airlines shall be supported in increasing flights based on peak tourism seasons and seasonal travel needs such as study tours, parent-child tourism and ice-and-snow tourism, and in launching themed flights in conjunction with major cultural and tourism festivals, exhibitions and events. Flights for seniors tourism shall be opened as needed, and preferential off-peak travel packages for elderly tourists in the low season shall be introduced. The civil aviation sector shall be encouraged to play a greater role in long-distance study tours, and qualified regions shall be supported in integrating resources to design and promote a number of special study-tour air routes and flights. Airport layouts in red-tourism areas shall be improved, airlines shall be encouraged to develop the red-tourism market and operate red-tourism routes, and eligible airport projects shall be supported for inclusion in key projects under the “15th Five-Year Plan” for civil-aviation development.
(7) Increasing the density of inbound tourism air routes.
Air-rights allocation shall be optimized, and Chinese and foreign airlines shall be guided to open more direct routes and flights to major and emerging source countries, especially countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to improve the network of inbound tourism air routes. The development of air routes linking areas where activities are permitted under transit visa-free policies, intermodal products combining “aviation + high-speed rail” and combined-ticket products for “cruise + aviation” shall be encouraged, so as to meet the diverse and differentiated travel needs of inbound tourists. An inbound tourism air-routes promotion program shall be implemented. Each year, a number of premium inbound tourism routes shall be cultivated and developed, focusing on major and emerging source countries and key destination cities for inbound tourism.
(8) Improving airport tourism service facilities.
Airports in popular tourist destination cities shall be encouraged to designate special areas convenient for the parking and pick-up of tourism vehicles such as dedicated tourist buses, chartered coaches and direct shuttle buses to resorts and hotels. Airports with suitable conditions are supported in setting up tourism distribution centers, visitor service centers and similar facilities in terminal buildings, providing one-stop services including tourism information consultation, distribution and collection of individual travellers, tour guiding and interpretation, ticket booking, car rental, baggage delivery and public-interest publicity.
IV. Fostering New Integrated Products, Business Forms and Scenarios
(9) Enriching “civil aviation + culture and tourism” services.
Airlines are encouraged to launch package tickets and flight passes covering multiple tourist destinations. Airlines and airports are supported in cooperating with cultural and museum institutions, tourist attractions, tourism resorts, hotels and homestays, travel agencies, car-rental companies and online travel platforms. In connection with China Tourism Day on May 19 and national activities to promote culture and tourism consumption, more combined products for tourists to choose from shall be launched. Efforts shall be supported to develop themed package products such as “Travel with Performances,” “Travel with Sports Events,” “Travel with Films and TV,” and “Travel with Intangible Cultural Heritage.” Airlines are encouraged to introduce student group passes and family discount passes for study tours, parent-child tourism and similar activities. Localities are encouraged to include “civil aviation + culture and tourism” combined products within the scope of policies that support the issuance of consumption vouchers.
(10) Developing civil-aviation-themed cultural and tourism products.
Cultural and tourism enterprises shall be supported in strengthening cooperation with civil-aviation entities to create civil-aviation-themed literary and artistic works and tourism performances with rich cultural connotations and a sense of the times, and to develop civil-aviation-themed cultural and creative products and co-branded merchandise. The development of high-quality industrial tourism routes themed on civil aviation shall be encouraged. The use of retired civil-aviation aircraft, disused airports and similar facilities shall be supported to develop cultural and tourism projects such as flight simulation, science-popularization education, immersive experiences and dining and entertainment. A civil-aviation-themed study-tour product development program shall be implemented, and a number of civil-aviation-themed study-tour brand projects and courses with educational significance and strong appeal shall be selected and promoted, so as to popularize civil-aviation knowledge and promote civil-aviation culture. On the premise of ensuring normal operations and safety, civil-aviation entities may, by appointment, open airport facilities, aviation bases, flight-training camps and other facilities for study-tour activities.
(11) Promoting the orderly and regulated development of low-altitude tourism.
Local authorities shall be encouraged, based on local realities, to establish joint regulatory mechanisms for low-altitude tourism that combine industry and local administration. On the premise of ensuring safety, enterprises with the necessary qualifications and conditions shall be supported in providing low-altitude tourism projects. Distinctive low-altitude tourism routes and products shall be developed based on the regional and seasonal characteristics of local tourism resources. Management measures for the aerial-sightseeing market shall be studied and formulated to guide the healthy and orderly development of low-altitude tourism.
(12) Creating new scenarios for culture and tourism display and consumption.
The development of “humanities-oriented airports” shall be advanced. Airports with suitable conditions are encouraged to make full use of existing facilities to set up cultural corridors, displays of intangible cultural heritage, themed exhibitions, museum-style displays, interactive entertainment and immersive experience areas, so as to create “airport cultural salons.” Culture and tourism consumption scenarios shall be expanded. Support shall be given for including cultural and creative products, special local products, trendy Chinese brands, products related to intangible cultural heritage and consumer-electronics products in terminal and in-flight shopping catalogues.
V. Creating a Favorable Environment for Integrated Development
(13) Establishing communication and coordination mechanisms.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Administration of China shall strengthen day-to-day communication and overall coordination, and support local culture and tourism administrative departments in establishing cooperation mechanisms with regional civil-aviation administrations, airlines, airports and other civil-aviation entities. Coordination and collaboration shall be strengthened in such areas as route design, project cooperation and publicity and promotion, so as to promote product innovation, business-model innovation, scenario innovation and service innovation in the integration of culture and tourism with the civil-aviation industry. Culture and tourism administrative departments at all levels shall be guided to strengthen data sharing and application with civil-aviation entities, providing a basis for targeted publicity and promotion, directing and attracting passenger flows, and monitoring and scheduling operations during holidays.
(14) Strengthening policy support and safeguards.
Policies for the management of air routes and flights shall be further improved, and the development of tourism air-route networks and the allocation of flight capacity shall be optimized. Civil-aviation entities shall strengthen the development and use of their resources and support their affiliated enterprises and institutions in participating in integrated-development efforts. Local culture and tourism administrative departments shall coordinate and make good use of policies related to consumption promotion and industrial development, so as to promote the development and operation of integrated products combining culture and tourism with the civil-aviation industry. Localities with suitable conditions are encouraged to introduce special support policies for promoting the integrated development of culture and tourism and the civil-aviation industry.
(15) Increasing efforts in publicity and promotion.
Local culture and tourism administrative departments and civil-aviation entities shall be encouraged to jointly carry out product publicity and promotion and themed consumption-promotion activities, and to set up dedicated sections at major exhibitions, festivals and online publicity and marketing platforms in the culture and tourism sector. Support shall be given to using airport billboards, in-flight magazines and in-flight entertainment systems to carry out public-interest publicity on culture and tourism, and to placing culture and tourism publicity materials in airport lounges and aircraft seat-back pockets. A coordinated mechanism for overseas publicity and promotion shall be established, promoting closer cooperation among overseas China Cultural Centers, tourism offices abroad and airlines’ overseas marketing centers, so as to jointly organize cultural and tourism enterprises and civil-aviation entities to participate in overseas culture and tourism exhibitions, forums and other activities, and to jointly carry out publicity on inbound-tourism products and route promotion.
Source: Official Website of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
