The integration of culture and tourism represents an inevitable trend and an inherent requirement for the development of the cultural and tourism sectors. At present, our district’s cultural and tourism industry is at a critical stage of transitioning from full-scale recovery to high-quality development. We must adhere to the principle of using culture to shape tourism and tourism to highlight culture, promote the deep integration of culture and tourism, and comprehensively elevate the level of development of the cultural and tourism industry. To accelerate the development of our district into a leading cultural and tourism hub and better meet the public’s demand for high-quality spiritual and cultural experiences, we hereby present the following guidelines on promoting the deep integration of culture and tourism to drive high-quality development in the tourism sector.
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, and earnestly carry out General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions regarding Inner Mongolia. We will firmly grasp the central task of forging a strong sense of the Chinese national community, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, actively serve and integrate into the new development paradigm, take the core socialist values as our guide, use the development of Northern Frontier culture as a lever, and focus on accomplishing two major tasks:we will deepen supply-side structural reform in the tourism industry, enrich the supply of high-quality tourism products and services, and adhere to a people-centered approach, reform and innovation, green development, and coordinated synergy. We will promote the deep integration of culture and tourism, establish a full-industry-chain layout for the tourism sector, fully unleash the vitality of tourism development, effectively leverage the tourism industry’s vital role in driving economic and social development, and provide strong support for writing a new chapter of Chinese-style modernization in Inner Mongolia.
By 2025, the number of national 5A- and 4A-rated tourist attractions will reach 8 and 170, respectively. We will establish 1 national-level tourist resort, 1 national demonstration zone for the integrated development of cultural and tourism industries, and 2 national-level cultural ecological conservation areas. The region will welcome 300 million tourist visits and generate 460 billion yuan in tourism revenue.By 2027, the number of national 5A- and 4A-rated tourist attractions will reach 9 and 200, respectively. Two national-level tourist resorts and three national-level cultural ecological conservation areas will be established. The region will welcome 400 million tourist visits and generate 650 billion yuan in tourism revenue. The comprehensive functions of cultural tourism will be fully realized, the cultural tourism supply system will be further improved, and the region will be basically established as a stronghold of cultural tourism.
II. Deeply Explore Cultural Tourism Resources
(1) Building the Northern Inner Mongolia Cultural Brand. Implement the Northern Inner Mongolia Cultural Theory Research Project to thoroughly elucidate the connotations, characteristics, and contemporary value of Northern Inner Mongolia culture. Implement the Northern Inner Mongolia Cultural Masterpiece Creation Project to produce high-quality works such as *Roots* and *Legacy·Hope*, and launch premium programs like “Tracing Cultural Lineages” and “Classics of Inner Mongolia,” as well as cultural and artistic brands such as “Singing Northern Inner Mongolia,” “Dancing Northern Inner Mongolia,” and “Theater of Northern Inner Mongolia.”Plan and launch a series of exhibitions, fairs, theater festivals, music festivals, arts festivals, and concerts centered on Northern Inner Mongolia culture to enrich the “Tourism+” business model. Organize public cultural performances and exhibitions in Northern Inner Mongolia. Integrate Northern Inner Mongolia culture into the development of tourist routes and the design of scenic area signage to vividly showcase the cultural values and distinctive characteristics of Northern Inner Mongolia.
(2) Strengthen the Protection and Utilization of Cultural Heritage. Continue to advance the construction of the Great Wall and Yellow River National Cultural Parks, with a focus on projects such as the Ming Great Wall at Qingshuihe, the Qin Great Wall at Guyang, the Baotou Yellow River National Wetland Cultural Museum, and the Wuhai Yellow River Cultural Museum. Intensify research on the Western Liao River Civilization to support the Project on the Origins of Chinese Civilization.Actively promote the inclusion of the Dayao Cultural Site and the Hamangha Cultural Site in the national list of archaeological site parks, and support the application of the Hongshan Cultural Site and others for World Cultural Heritage status.Strengthen the protection of key cultural relics such as historical sites, ancient architecture, and ancient tombs; implement protection and utilization projects for historic and cultural cities and districts; and establish the Inner Mongolia Cultural Relics Theme Trail brand. Actively establish national demonstration zones for cultural relics protection and utilization. By 2025, cultivate 15 autonomous regional-level cultural ecological protection zones and 50 intangible cultural heritage tourism experience bases.
(3) Promote the deep integration of revolutionary culture and revolutionary tourism. Implement the New Era Stage Arts Excellence Project to produce and launch revolutionary-themed plays such as *The Mongolian-Tibetan School*, *Colorful Inner Mongolia*, *Home in the Northern Frontier*, and *The Grasslands and the Sea*, while enhancing the influence of existing plays such as *The Heroic Sisters of the Grasslands* and *The Cavalry*.We will develop red tourism in an orderly manner, upgrading and improving the quality of eight national red classic tourist attractions, including the Ulagai Grassland and Ming’an Grassland (national red grasslands) and the Manzhouli Red International Secret Transport Route Education Base, and establish the Wuchuan County Red Tourism Integrated Development Demonstration Zone. We will implement key revolutionary cultural relics protection projects and build exemplary bases for the protection of revolutionary cultural relics, such as the “One Museum and Three Sites” and the Chengchuan Cadre Academy.
III. Building Distinctive Tourism Brands
(4) Building a “Top Destination” for Domestic Self-Drive Tours. Leveraging Inner Mongolia’s advantages—including its borders with Russia and Mongolia, its location spanning the “Three Northern Regions,” and its proximity to eight provinces—we will establish a comprehensive, multi-dimensional self-drive tourism system integrating “roads, scenery, and campsites.” We will develop 50 premium self-drive tourism routes, including the Beijing-Inner Mongolia route, National Highway 331, and the “S-shaped Bend” of the Yellow River.Construct 100 self-drive campsites, with a focus on building 20 Class C RV campsites in areas such as along the Greater Khingan Range, the southern foothills of the Greater Qing Mountains, and the Horqin Grasslands. Develop self-drive tourism brands such as “Thousand Vehicles, Ten Thousand People” and “Four Seasons of Travel.” Encourage the establishment of a tourism car rental service network covering the entire region, featuring one-way rentals (pick-up at one location and drop-off at another).
(5) Building “Top Destinations” for Domestic Camping Tourism. Support localities in developing camping tourism based on their unique resources. Encourage the four cities of Hohhot, Baotou, Ordos, and Ulanqab to create comprehensive leisure camping complexes, and encourage tourist attractions, resort areas, rural tourism villages, and urban parks to establish camping and leisure zones.Implement the “Campground+” initiative to deeply integrate cultural, artistic, and sports elements, and develop high-quality specialty campgrounds such as the Mazongshan Ski Resort, Yinkentala Desert, and Xikou Village Art Village. Formulate development guidelines and evaluation standards for camping tourism. By 2025, the region will have 200 campgrounds, including 15 graded campgrounds.
(6) Build a “must-visit destination” for domestic vacation travel. Promote the high-quality development of tourist resorts by developing high-quality, distinctive vacation products, including accommodation and dining, ecological leisure, cultural experiences, and premium performances.Develop distinctive resort destinations featuring deserts, grasslands, forests, and hot springs; create model tourism and leisure districts; actively establish the Arxan National-Level Tourism Resort; and prioritize the development of regional-level tourism resorts such as Moerdoga and Wuhai Lake. By 2025, the number of regional-level tourism resorts will reach 15, and the number of tourism and leisure districts will reach 10.
(7) Build a “preferred destination” for domestic health and wellness tourism. Develop a new “migratory bird”-style health and wellness model, enhance the influence of Xing’an League as a summer tourism destination in China, and create new summer tourism brands such as Hulunbuir and Ulanqab.Leveraging the advantages of hot springs, deserts, and traditional Chinese medicine (Mongolian medicine) resources, we will launch wellness products such as sand therapy and sand baths, dietary therapy and medicinal baths, and desert yoga. We will encourage the development of hot spring wellness scenic areas (resorts) in places like Arxan, Keshenketeng, Sunite Right Banner, and Duolun. By 2025, we aim to establish 10 autonomous region-level wellness tourism demonstration bases (projects).
IV. Cultivating Distinctive Tourism Formats
(8) Deepen the development of grassland tourism. Optimize the layout of grassland development, with a focus on promoting the creation of national 5A-level tourist attractions such as the Hulunbuir Grassland·Morgol River and the Xilingol Nine-Bend Bay scenic areas. Support the development of charming ecological grasslands in areas such as the Huiten Xiler Grassland in Ulanqab and the Ordos Grassland.Develop 10 composite grassland tourism destinations—including the Chifeng Ulanbutong Grassland, Xing’an League Ulanmaodu Grassland, Hohhot Chiletuan Grassland, and Baotou Saikhan Tala Urban Grassland—that integrate “ecological sightseeing, leisure and resort, cultural experiences, outdoor sports, and science education and research,” driving the transformation of grassland tourism from a single sightseeing model to a diversified business model.
(9) Sustainably develop forest tourism. Comprehensively upgrade the development standards of 10 national forest parks, including Arxan, Wulashan, Huanggangliang, and Helan Mountain; accelerate the construction of national forest trails; and improve the supporting service systems surrounding these trails.Develop the Inner Mongolia Greater Khingan Range Tourism Development Plan. Promote the integrated development of forest tourism with folk tourism, winter sports tourism, resort tourism, wellness tourism, and self-drive tourism, and advance the upgrading of forest tourism destinations such as Genhe Source, Aoluguya, Linhu Guse, and the Kesheteng Stone Array.
(10) Optimize the development of desert tourism. Strengthen infrastructure construction in desert tourist attractions, improve desert tourism service standards, and promote the designation of the Kubuqi Seven-Star Lake, Yulong Sand Lake, and Badain Jaran Desert scenic areas as national 5A-level tourist attractions. Build the Xiangshawan Hualian World-Class Tourism Resort and successfully organize desert cultural tourism brand events such as the Alashan Heroes Festival and the Alashan Golden Autumn Poplar Festival.Under the principles of prioritizing conservation, scientific planning, and sustainable development, we will make rational use of desert natural and cultural resources to carry out ecotourism activities, and encourage the development of distinctive desert cultural and tourism industries such as horseback riding, hiking, off-road motorbike tours, self-drive camping, and leisure vacations.
(11) Vigorously develop winter tourism. Focus on the four eastern leagues and cities to build winter tourism destinations, and enhance the development of ski resorts such as Jinlong Mountain in Zhalantun, Fenghuang Mountain in Yakeshi, and Meiling Valley in Karakhan Banner.By 2025, four national-level ski resorts and five autonomous region-level ski resorts will be established. Support the development of distinctive winter tourism projects, and construct the China Cold Pole Village and the Winter Culture Experience Park. Build the "Winter Naadam" national brand, and host high-quality events such as the Manzhouli China-Russia-Mongolia International Winter Festival and the Chifeng Dali Lake Winter Fishing Festival.
(12) Enhance the Development of Urban and Rural Tourism.Strengthen the construction of micro-circulation recreational facilities such as urban greenways, bike paths, suburban parks, and parking facilities. Encourage tourist cities to create new cultural and tourism spaces, including urban landmarks, cultural and creative parks, urban theaters, and gourmet districts, to enhance urban tourism service functions. Support the upgrading of industrial tourism in Baotou, Ordos, Wuhai, and other areas, and support companies such as Yili, Mengniu, and Mengcao in developing high-quality modern industrial and agricultural tourism attractions.Launch pilot projects to empower rural revitalization through the cultural industry, build a number of key rural tourism villages and towns with distinctive regional cultural characteristics as well as villages and towns featuring intangible cultural heritage, and promote the implementation of national standards for tourism homestays. By 2025, 50 national key rural tourism villages and towns, 50 villages and towns featuring intangible cultural heritage, and 100 high-quality rural homestays, leisure farms (ranches), rural campsites, and rural-themed hotels will be established.
(13) Actively develop inbound, border, and cross-border tourism. Optimize inbound tourism products and itineraries. Improve travel convenience for foreign tourists and residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan by streamlining processes for booking attraction tickets, purchasing transportation tickets (including buses and boats), and checking into accommodations. Strengthen foreign language training for tour guides and service staff at attractions and hotels.Comprehensively deepen the cooperation mechanism of the China-Russia-Mongolia “Tea Road” International Tourism Alliance, develop cross-border self-driving tour routes, formulate management and service standards for “Tea Road” international tourism stations, and enhance the influence of the international tourism brand.Enhance the development of the Manzhouli Border Tourism Pilot Zone, promote the construction of the Zhuengadabuchi and Arxan Border Tourism Pilot Zones as well as the China-Mongolia Erlianhaote-Zamnuud Cross-Border Tourism Cooperation Zone, and develop high-quality tourism along the Ergun River.
V. Enhancing the Competitiveness of the Tourism Industry
(14) Foster and Develop Market Entities. Implement the Cultural and Tourism Market Entity Cultivation Project; support the transformation and development of private cultural and tourism enterprises; implement business-friendly policies such as appropriately extending the deadline for travel agencies to replenish tourism service quality deposits and fully refunding or deferring the payment of such deposits; and support tourism enterprises in participating in government procurement and service outsourcing in accordance with the law. Strengthen, optimize, and expand state-owned cultural and tourism enterprises, and cultivate leading cultural and tourism enterprises such as the Inner Mongolia Cultural Tourism Investment Group and the Forestry Industry Group.Actively engage with leading enterprises and listed companies in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to promote the construction of 100 key cultural and tourism projects and a number of landmark cultural and tourism projects. Optimize the government-bank-enterprise cooperation platform and encourage cultural and tourism enterprises to raise capital through IPOs and bond issuances.
(15) Stimulate cultural and tourism consumption. Implement initiatives to promote cultural and tourism consumption, cultivate tourism consumption hotspots, and encourage localities to organize cultural consumption seasons, months, and weeks. Encourage scenic spots to reduce or waive admission fees, offer free admission during off-peak seasons, and implement regional joint tickets.Support Hohhot and Baotou in establishing themselves as National Cultural and Tourism Consumption Demonstration Cities, with a focus on developing five national-level nighttime cultural and tourism consumption clusters: Hohhot’s Sai Shang Old Street, Hulunbuir Ancient City, Ordos’s Ulanmuren District, Alashan’s Dingyuanying, and Manzhouli’s Matryoshka Scenic Area. Support cultural and sports venues in enhancing their tourism and leisure functions, and guide museums and cultural centers to extend their operating hours.Strengthen the digital transformation of traditional tourism venues to create new spaces for smart tourism and immersive experiences. Develop distinctive branded tourism performance projects such as “Ode to the Horse Through the Ages.” Innovatively develop a series of cultural and tourism products featuring Inner Mongolian cuisine, intangible cultural heritage, traditional attire, and cultural and creative goods. Prioritize the establishment of 500 “Inner Mongolia Gifts” experience stores, build the “Inner Mongolia Artisans” flagship brand, and enhance the influence of the “My Pledge to the Grasslands” signature brand.
VI. Optimizing and Enhancing Service Support
(16) Improve the tourism transportation network. Accelerate the construction of connecting roads between major transportation arteries and scenic areas, and enhance the tourism service functions of passenger transport hubs such as airports, high-speed rail stations, and bus stations.Promote the construction of “tourism-oriented” and “leisure-oriented” highway service areas. Support the development of dedicated tourist routes connecting 4A-rated and higher tourist attractions to achieve seamless public transportation connections between airports, high-speed rail stations, and major scenic areas. Encourage the development of general aviation charter flights and aerial sightseeing services. Develop tourism along the Greater Khingan Range Forest Railway.
(17) Improve Tourism Service Facilities. Systematically build a public tourism service system by scientifically planning the layout of public facilities such as visitor distribution centers, tourist restrooms, scenic routes, traffic signs and markers, and smart tourism public service platforms, while enhancing comprehensive service functions including charging, refueling, dining, and retail. By 2025, construct more than 30 new model tourist rest stops and other service facilities.Implement the Tourism Restroom Quality Improvement Project, refine the commercial management model for tourism restrooms, and create high-grade A-level tourism restrooms, designating 100 model tourism restrooms across the region annually.
(18) Advance the development of a smart cultural and tourism system. Implement the “Cloud Tour Inner Mongolia” project, establish a region-wide smart cultural and tourism data platform for mutual connectivity and data sharing, and build a comprehensive system covering smart tourism, smart marketing, and smart supervision across the region. Support the smart transformation of tourist attractions, promote the widespread application of new technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality, and drive the development of immersive experience projects. Fully leverage new technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality to accelerate the construction of a “Smart Cultural and Tourism+” system.
(19) Build Catering and Accommodation Brands.Vigorously cultivate time-honored catering enterprises, promote the entry of “Mongolian-branded” famous products and renowned restaurants into scenic areas, and organize the “Taste of Inner Mongolia” series of events. Support localities in actively creating culinary and leisure districts that connect representative scenic areas with local specialties and intangible cultural heritage cuisine, thereby creating a single culinary map and 10 culinary routes. Support localities in attracting five-star hotel chains; by 2025, 200 new star-rated hotels and eco-friendly tourism hotels will be established or newly certified.
VII. Enhancing the Cultural Tourism Brand
(20) Strengthen tourism promotion and marketing. Establish a “Beautiful Inner Mongolia” promotional system to highlight distinctive brands such as “One Step West of Beijing is Ulanqab” and “Warm City Ordos.”Make full use of traditional media, new media, and social media channels to comprehensively showcase Inner Mongolia’s tourism image. Regularly implement the “One Million People Mutual Tourism Initiative” and strengthen tourism cooperation with regions such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Yellow River Basin. Leverage the role of overseas Inner Mongolia cultural and tourism marketing centers to enhance promotion and marketing efforts targeting overseas markets.
(21) Enhance the economic stimulus effect of tourism festivals and events.We will foster the development of the “festival economy” and establish a year-round “Meet on the Grasslands” event system. We will successfully organize the Naadam Festival series of tourism activities. We will effectively organize the China (Arxan) Tourism Conference, the National Self-Drive and Camping Tourism Development Conference, the Inner Mongolia Cultural Industry Expo and Trade Fair, and the Northern Frontier Cultural Festival. We will encourage social entities to host rural tourism festivals, seasonal village evening events, intangible cultural heritage New Year’s goods exhibitions, grassland music festivals, and urban food festivals to promote consumption in the cultural, entertainment, and exhibition sectors.
VIII. Support Measures
(22) Strengthen Organizational Implementation. Establish a working mechanism led by Party committees, spearheaded by the government, organized and implemented by cultural and tourism departments, and advanced in coordination with relevant departments. Strengthen overall coordination to address key challenges and bottlenecks in tourism development. Continuously optimize the business environment, adopting a “case-by-case” approach for attracting major enterprises, platforms, and projects.
(23) Strengthen Policy Support. Make effective use of various fiscal funds; include eligible tourism projects within the scope of support for local government special bonds; attract social capital investment; and establish a diversified investment mechanism for the tourism industry.Encourage the expansion of coverage for business liability insurance for tourism enterprises. Ensure the supply of land for tourism public service facilities in accordance with laws and regulations. Support tourism enterprises in revitalizing existing tourism projects and assets. Support localities in developing the tourism industry using industrial land released through urban transformation and rural collective construction land, as well as in developing cultural and tourism projects using idle buildings and vacated residential land.
(24) Strengthen Talent Support. Intensify efforts to cultivate talent in creative planning, marketing, and tourism management, and attract high-level talent in culture and tourism. Encourage governments, enterprises, and universities to jointly establish a coordinated mechanism for the training and development of culture and tourism talent; advance the development of culture and tourism disciplines and majors; establish an Inner Mongolia Culture and Tourism Think Tank; build culture and tourism research bases; and implement a series of research projects on the fundamental theories and applied strategies of culture and tourism.Support the establishment of studios for leading cultural and tourism talents and cultivate 300 leaders of cultural and tourism enterprises. Strengthen the supply of tour guide talent and professional training, and support vocational colleges in conducting specialized tourism skills training. Organize a regional tour guide competition.
(25) Strengthen market regulation. Build a credit system in the culture and tourism sector, improve the credit commitment system, and explore the establishment of advance compensation and good-faith refund mechanisms. Strengthen supervision of the tourism market, ensure smooth channels for supervision and complaints, and improve the tourism dispute mediation mechanism. Improve the self-regulation mechanism of tourism associations and strictly regulate the professional conduct of tour guides. Improve the tourism service quality evaluation system, carry out monitoring, evaluation, and brand building, and foster a sound tourism market environment. Strengthen the implementation of responsibilities and supervision and inspection, and uphold the bottom line of production safety and ideological security.
