AAAAA-level Tourist Attractions

6.1 AAAAA-level Tourist Attractions

6.1.1 Resource Value

6.1.1.1 Tourist Resource Attractiveness meets the following conditions:

a) Should have high historical, cultural, natural ecological, and scientific educational value, with at least one type of resource having outstanding world-class value or significance;

b) Should have very unique landscapes, or a large number and scale of rare species, with high viewing and recreation value;

c) Should have world-class brand tourism resources or China's special-grade tourism resources;

d) Resource entities should be large in scale and volume, or have multiple basic types (as determined by GB/T 18972), or have excellent resource density and combination;

e) Resource entities should be complete and fully maintain their original form and structure;

f) The spatial distribution of various resource entities should be complete and connected, and have strong natural or cultural relevance.

6.1.1.2 Tourism Market Influence meets the following conditions:

a) Should have high reputation and influence both domestically and internationally;

b) Themes and characteristics should be very distinct, and the market image should be very prominent;

c) Market attractiveness is very strong, with annual tourist reception exceeding 600,000, including over 30,000 overseas tourists.

6.1.2 Tourism Transportation

6.1.2.1 External Transportation meets the following conditions:

a) The scenic area should be easily accessible, with rapid transportation methods such as civil aviation, high-speed rail, high-grade highways, or high-grade waterways reaching the scenic area;

b) Roads leading to the scenic area should be flat and smooth, with complete road auxiliary facilities such as directional signs and temporary stops, meeting the requirements of safe, comfortable, green, and convenient traffic flow and passenger flow, with natural and beautiful scenery along the way, good viewing effects, and standardized traffic management;

c) There should be a complete tourism distribution and transfer system, with convenient public transportation or tourist shuttle buses to the scenic area.

6.1.2.2 Traffic Signs and Parking (Boat) Services meet the following conditions.

a) Tourism-specific traffic signs should be set up at major transportation hubs and main roads leading to the scenic area, and road traffic signs should comply with GB 5768.2 requirements.

b) There should be parking lots or boat docks that harmonize with the landscape environment, with reasonable layouts and capacities sufficient to meet tourist reception needs; parking areas should be flat and solid, with clear markings, ecological and environmental protection, and boat docks should have smooth and clean waters; signs should be standardized, conspicuous, and beautiful.

c) Parking (boat) management is complete, with parking lot (boat dock) security monitoring systems, equipped with car charging facilities, and should provide smart parking (boat) services.

6.1.3 Sightseeing Facilities

6.1.3.1 Visitor Centers meet the following conditions.

a) Visitor center settings and services should comply with GB/T 31383 requirements, with reasonable locations, convenient access for tourists to major scenic spots, moderate scale, beautiful architecture, cultural atmosphere, and coordination with the landscape environment.

b) Visitor centers should have complete functions, including on-site ticket windows; equipped with consultation service counters and publicity and display facilities, with tourist consultation telephones and self-service facilities in good condition, providing online and offline consultation services; sufficient and skilled service personnel with enthusiastic service.

c) Tourist information consultation and service materials should be diverse, rich in content, with both paper and electronic versions, concise and accurate text, exquisite production, prominent characteristics, timely updates, and easy access; free paper scenic area guides should be provided.

d) Major service items, prices, and other important information of the scenic area should be publicly displayed in a conspicuous place, advocating civilized tourism, promoting environmental protection, practicing thrift, and opposing waste.

e) Mobile phone charging, drinking cold and hot water, and item storage services should be provided, and postal and postal commemorative services should be provided.

6.1.3.2 Guiding System meets the following conditions.

a) Panoramic maps, guide maps, street orientation maps, information index signs, location signs, directional signs, safety signs, behavioral instruction signs, explanatory signs (scenic area introductions, landscape explanations, amusement facility explanations, etc.) should be reasonably set up, with accurate content, precise translations, clear pictures and text, beautiful shapes, artistic sense and cultural atmosphere, coordination with the landscape environment, and good maintenance; electronic guiding systems should be set up; the setting of public information guidance systems in tourist scenic areas should comply with GB/T 31384 requirements.

b) Public information graphic symbols should comply with the provisions of GB/T 10001.1, GB/T 10001.2, GB/T 10001.4, GB/T 10001.8, and GB/T 10001.9.

6.1.3.3 Sightseeing Routes and Sightseeing Vehicles meet the following conditions:

a) Sightseeing routes should be scientifically designed, safe and smooth, in line with tourist habits, and fully demonstrate the theme and characteristics of the scenic area;

b) It is advisable to provide tourists with a variety of choices such as walking and driving, and sightseeing facilities such as driving roads, walking paths, viewing platforms, and transportation transfers should be reasonably set up and comply with ecological environmental protection requirements;

c) Sightseeing vehicles should be sufficient in number, safe and convenient, and have strong characteristics, and it is advisable to use clean energy.

6.1.3.4 Sanitary and Rest Facilities meet the following conditions.

a) Tourist toilets should be provided to meet the needs of tourists. Their locations should be scientifically planned, sufficient in number, with a reasonable ratio of male to female toilets, clear signage, aesthetically pleasing architecture, harmonizing with the landscape environment, and possessing cultural atmosphere; Toilets should be equipped with flushing, washing, and ventilation equipment, or use environmentally friendly waterless ecological toilets. Facilities and equipment should be well maintained.

b) Tourist toilets should be managed by dedicated personnel, cleaned promptly, with clean equipment, free of dirt and blockages, clean and hygienic interior and exterior environments, and free of odors.

c) All tourist toilets in the area should meet the Class I quality requirements stipulated in GB/T 18973, with the proportion of Class I tourist toilets not less than 40%.

d) Trash cans should be classified, reasonably arranged, sufficient in number, clearly marked, aesthetically pleasing in design, and coordinated with the environment.

e) Public rest facilities for tourists should be reasonably arranged, sufficient in number, aesthetically pleasing and practical, and well maintained.

f) Public rest areas for tourists should provide facilities for wind protection, sun shading, and rain shelter.

6.1.4 Sightseeing Services

6.1.4.1 The interpretation system meets the following conditions.

a) A variety of interpretation methods should be provided, including explanatory signs, audio-visual products, printed materials, personnel explanations, and electronic explanations, clearly indicating the ways to obtain interpretation information; Interpretation facilities should be exquisitely designed and of high-quality materials; Self-service electronic tour guide services, voice guide rentals, or wireless device guide services should be provided, with a high degree of informationization in interpretation.

b) The interpretation content should be scientific, accurate, and in-depth, with distinct scenic area characteristics, and possess popular science and publicity and education functions, without vulgar, low-brow, or kitsch content.

c) The interpretation language should be vivid and elegant, in line with tourists' information acquisition habits and corresponding needs, with excellent interpretation effects.

d) The interpretation language should be in both Chinese and foreign languages, and should be standardized and accurate.

6.1.4.2 Interpreters meet the following conditions.

a) They should be licensed, with more than 80% having a junior college or higher education level. The number of interpreters and the languages and dialects should meet the needs of tourists, and relevant information about the interpreters should be publicly available to tourists.

b) The interpretation language should be standardized, with a 100% standard Mandarin proficiency rate; The interpretation should be clear, vivid, and interesting, and targeted and personalized interpretation services should be provided.

c) Interpreters should be incorporated into the unified management system of the scenic area, orderly undertaking tasks, with enthusiastic service attitudes, appropriate behavior, no coercive or inducement of consumption behavior, and service quality in accordance with GB/T 15971 requirements.

6.1.4.3 Shopping Services meet the following conditions.

a) Shopping areas should be reasonably arranged, appropriately sized, with distinctive design, harmonizing with the environment, and facilities and services should meet the requirements of GB/T 26356.

b) Shopping areas and their employees should be under unified management; The shopping area environment should be clean and orderly, price tags should be clearly marked, and there should be no chasing and hawking, soliciting customers, overcharging, or forced purchases.

c) Tourist goods should meet the needs of tourists, with distinctive cultural and creative characteristics, highlighting the characteristics of the scenic area or region, exquisite materials, exquisite craftsmanship, and qualified quality.

d) Convenient tourist goods reservation, purchase, and delivery services should be provided, with unified after-sales service channels.

6.1.4.4 Catering services meet the following conditions:

a) Catering facilities should be reasonably arranged, appropriately sized, facilities should harmonize with the landscape environment, the dining environment should be clean, and cultural or thematic characteristics should be incorporated, and facilities and services should meet the requirements of GB/T 26361;

b) Catering supplies should meet the needs of different groups of people, and local flavors and specialty cuisines should be provided, with reasonable prices, authentic flavors, and refined processing;

c) Catering hygiene should comply with GB 37487 and GB 37488 regulations, equipped with disinfection facilities, ready-to-eat foods should meet the requirements of relevant national food safety standards, and non-degradable disposable tableware should not be used;

d) Catering services should be enthusiastic and thoughtful, and the dining order should be good;

e) Civilized dining should be advocated, and catering venues should have publicity and measures against food waste, effectively guiding, reminding, and urging tourists to save food and engage in green consumption.

6.1.4.5 Convenience services meet the following conditions.

a) Convenient access should be provided for special groups such as the elderly, children, and people with disabilities, with barrier-free signs, barrier-free access or elevators, barrier-free motor vehicle parking spaces, barrier-free toilets (or toilet stalls), family toilets, baby rooms, and tools and supplies such as wheelchairs, crutches, and strollers; Barrier-free facilities should comply with GB 50763 regulations.

b) Personalized reception and convenient services such as ticket purchasing and mail forwarding should be provided for special groups.

c) Various identity documents such as those for foreign nationals coming to China can be authenticated and used.

d) High-quality, efficient, and convenient payment services should be provided, supporting various payment methods such as mobile payment, domestic and foreign bank cards, and cash.

e) Volunteer service stations should be established to provide public service from tourism volunteers.

6.1.5 Tourism Safety

6.1.5.1 Safety regulations meet the following conditions:

a A security department should be established, a complete security system should be established, security personnel should be adequately equipped, licensed, and daily security

b) Patrol management is effective;

c) For scenic areas that implement reservation management and real-name ticket purchases, the security of tourist identity information should be ensured;

The carrying capacity determined by the competent scenic area authority should be published, a carrying capacity forecasting and warning mechanism should be established, a peak tourist flow control plan should be formulated, and diversion and distribution measures should be effective;

d) The operation of scenic area transportation, entertainment facilities, and commercial projects should obtain the required permits, relevant personnel should be licensed, operations should comply with regulations, regular inspections should be conducted, and there should be no safety hazards; Amusement parks should meet the safety and service requirements stipulated in GB/T 16767;

e) The scenic area's network and information security system is sound, with comprehensive security measures in place, meeting the safety technology and management requirements specified in GB/T 22239.

6.1.5.2 Safety facilities and signage meet the following conditions.

a) Safety inspection areas should be set up at main entrances and exits; barriers, bollards, speed bumps, or rising bollards, etc., should be installed as hard anti-collision facilities.

b) Fire-fighting and anti-theft facilities and equipment should be complete and in good working order; the security monitoring system should be complete and operate normally; the storage format and retention time of monitoring data files should comply with the requirements of relevant departments.

c) Protective facilities against geological disasters, overcrowding, drowning, and falls should be fully equipped, with dedicated personnel patrolling special sections.

d) Safety warning signs should be complete, conspicuous, and standardized; their installation and use should comply with GB 2894 requirements; dangerous areas and areas not open to tourists should be equipped with appropriate isolation facilities or conspicuous warning signs.

6.1.5.3 Safety tips and education meet the following conditions:

a) Tourists should be proactively provided with safety education services; corresponding safety measures should be taken when receiving elderly people, minors, and disabled tourists;

b) Tourists should be advised to act according to their personal health conditions, and exercise caution when participating in high-altitude, high-speed, water-related, and adventurous tourism projects; tourists should be required to participate in sports and recreational activities with high skill and safety prevention requirements under the guidance of professionals.

6.1.5.4 Safety rescue and emergency response meet the following conditions:

a) An emergency plan system and emergency rescue system for sudden events should be established, with necessary emergency sensing and alarm equipment, emergency rescue equipment and materials, and good maintenance; warnings and risk alerts should be issued promptly, and the ability to handle accidents and carry out rescue operations should be strong;

b) A first-aid room should be set up, emergency rescue telephone numbers should be published, necessary medical personnel and first-aid facilities should be equipped, and common medicines and routine medical care services should be provided;

c) Emergency rescue skills training and drills should be conducted regularly for employees who directly serve tourists;

d) Mechanisms for joint emergency rescue in scenic areas and joint handling of public safety incidents should be established with public security, medical, rescue, and emergency departments or units, with rapid response and effective operation.

6.1.6 Integration of Culture and Tourism

6.1.6.1 Cultural Themes meet the following conditions:

a) It should possess one or more cultural types, including but not limited to natural ecology, historical humanities, red education, science and technology, literature and art, and ethnic customs; the cultural connotation is very rich;

b) Cultural excavation is thorough, cultural themes are distinct, cultural characteristics or regional characteristics are very prominent, or themed cultural creativity is very unique;

c) Cultural themes should run through the entire process of project development, operation, activity organization, promotion, and tourism services.

6.1.6.2 Cultural Utilization meets the following conditions:

a) Cultural elements should be fully integrated into the scenic area's architectural landscape, tourism facilities, tourism products, and service activities, creating a strong cultural atmosphere;

b) There should be cultural display venues or spaces, effectively displaying and activating culture through scenes, objects, pictures, activities, or modern technologies;

c) There should be rich and unique cultural tourism products and experiential activities; high-quality tourism performing arts products or intangible cultural heritage display and performance projects are desirable; projects should have strong participation and interaction, and good cultural and tourism experience effects;

d) Products should have high-level cultural creativity; cultural tourism products and cultural and creative products should be novel and unique, with a distinctive cultural and creative brand of the scenic area.

6.1.6.3 Cultural Dissemination meets the following conditions:

a) There should be significant cultural dissemination effects in the scenic area, with a clear market image, unique product image, and excellent quality image;

b) The operating entity should establish a unique organizational culture with scientific values and business philosophy;

c) Employees should have a high degree of identification with the scenic area (organizational) culture, and a strong awareness of disseminating the scenic area's culture.

6.1.7 Smart Tourism

6.1.7.1 Smart Services meet the following conditions.

a) Broadband networks should meet the needs of scenic area services and operations; mobile communication signals and wireless local area networks should cover the main tourist areas, with smooth network speeds.

b) An official website for the scenic area should be established, and new media platforms should be used to provide information release, information inquiry, reservation, tour guiding, and complaint feedback services; the content should be rich and the functions complete; one-stop integrated information services are desirable.

c) Information release facilities and equipment should be installed at scenic area entrances and exits, visitor centers, and tourist gathering areas to promptly and accurately release information related to scenic area opening, passenger flow, weather, and activities.

d) Self-service tour guiding services should be provided, with functions such as precise navigation, tour guiding, and scenic spot explanations.

e) Digital tourism products should be developed, providing new tourism scenarios and spaces such as virtual reality and immersive experiences.

6.1.7.2 Smart Management meets the following conditions:

a) An intelligent electronic access control system should be in place, supporting multiple verification methods;

b) Monitoring equipment should be installed at important nodes in the scenic area and in the main areas of tourist activity, effectively supporting the collection of passenger flow and traffic flow data, and monitoring of the environment and safety; it should have intelligent safety supervision and automatic sensing and warning (early warning) capabilities;

c) Scenic area data should be collected in a standardized manner, centrally managed, and effectively maintained; it is desirable to rely on local or cloud data centers for secure storage and utilization of scenic area data;

d) A smart management system for the scenic area should be established to effectively manage the scenic area's resources, environment, facilities, equipment, and operating status;

e) New-generation information technologies should be applied to scenic area services and operational management in a timely manner, with strong application innovation capabilities.

6.1.7.3 Smart Marketing meets the following conditions:

a) A digital market marketing operation and evaluation mechanism should be established, using networks and new media to establish smart marketing channels and conduct market marketing activities;

b) It is advisable to utilize big data and artificial intelligence for precise marketing; smart methods should be used to monitor marketing effectiveness, and a real-time collection and feedback system for visitor opinions and suggestions should be established.

6.1.8 Resource and Environmental Protection

6.1.8.1 Environmental quality meets the following conditions:

a) Ambient air quality should meet the requirements for Class I ambient air quality as stipulated in GB 3095;

b) Ambient noise quality should meet the noise limit requirements for Class 1 acoustic environment functional areas as stipulated in GB 3096;

c) Surface water environmental quality should meet the requirements of GB 3838;

d) Wastewater discharge should meet the comprehensive discharge requirements stipulated in GB 8978.

6.1.8.2 Environmental sanitation meets the following conditions.

a) The environment is clean, free of sewage and waste, and free of unauthorized construction, stacking, and placement; buildings and various facilities and equipment are free of peeling and dirt.

b) The hygiene of various tourist public places should comply with the provisions of GB 37487, GB 37488, and GB 37489.1; the hygiene of artificial swimming places should meet the requirements of GB 37489.3.

c) Garbage should be classified and disposed of according to the requirements of GB/T19095, cleaned promptly, and disposed of daily; the collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage should comply with the relevant regulations of the local administration.

6.1.8.3 Resource protection meets the following conditions:

a) There should be a sound system for the protection of tourism resources, with clear protection scope, objects, and responsibilities, and sufficient investment in protection and maintenance funds;

b) There should be scientific protection methods and effective protection measures to maintain the authenticity and integrity of natural resources, cultural relics, and cultural heritage;

c) Tourism resources should be developed and utilized rationally, the development intensity should not exceed the carrying capacity of the resources, and there should be no destructive development phenomena.

6.1.8.4 Environmental protection meets the following conditions.

a) The ecological protection red line should be strictly adhered to, the ecological environment protection system and monitoring mechanism should be sound, and ecological safety should be good.

b) The environmental atmosphere is excellent, the green coverage rate is high, plants and landscapes should be properly arranged, landscape and environmental beautification measures are diverse, and the overall effect is good.

c) The building layout should be reasonable, and the volume, height, color, and shape of the buildings should be coordinated with the landscape environment; the buildings around the scenic area should be coordinated with the landscape style, or have a certain buffer zone.

d) Various facilities and equipment, energy utilization, and pollutant emissions within the area should meet national environmental protection requirements, not cause environmental pollution or other public hazards, and not damage tourism resources and the sightseeing atmosphere; energy-saving and low-carbon facilities and equipment and environmentally friendly materials should be used.

e) Ecological civilization and environmental protection publicity and education should be carried out for tourists and employees, advocating low-carbon travel and green consumption.

6.1.9 Integrated Management

6.1.9.1 Management institutions and systems meet the following conditions.

a) There should be a sound management institution with clear job responsibilities, reasonable allocation of management personnel, and all middle and senior management personnel should have a junior college education or above, and the operation management mechanism is effective.

b) There should be sound management systems for tourism service quality, tourism safety, resource and environmental protection, and tourism statistics, with effective implementation and supervision and inspection measures, complete records and summaries; a standardized management system for scenic areas should be established.

c) The scenic area should be no less than 3km² in area; the construction and development of the scenic area should comply with relevant planning requirements.

6.1.9.2 Employee management meets the following conditions:

a) There should be a sound employee training system and a complete training plan, and a training performance evaluation and reward and punishment mechanism should be established;

b) The training should cover scenic area management, service, and related personnel, the training frequency and duration should be appropriate, the training content should be comprehensive and targeted, the training effect should be good, and the training pass rate of on-the-job personnel should reach 100%;

c) Employees should wear work clothes, wear name tags, behave civilly, and behave in a standardized manner.

6.1.9.3 Marketing management meets the following conditions:

a) Publicity and promotion should be rich in content, able to fully display the scenic area's resources, product characteristics, and service content, and the information should be true and accurate;

b) The marketing scope should cover the main source markets, and the publicity and promotion channels and methods should be diverse;

c) There should be good marketing results, able to maintain a high level of market awareness and reputation.

6.1.9.4 Service quality supervision and management meets the following conditions.

a) There should be scenic area service quality supervision and management personnel, tourism service quality inspection and evaluation system, and improvement and reward and punishment measures.

b) The complaint system is sound, complaint channels and complaint handling procedures should be published, complaint telephone, complaint mailbox, and online complaint channels should be smooth; complaints should be handled promptly, properly, and with complete archive records.

c) Tourist satisfaction surveys and evaluations should be conducted, and tourist satisfaction should be high.

6.1.9.5 Social benefits meet the following conditions:

a) It should promote advanced socialist culture, revolutionary culture, and excellent traditional Chinese culture, and it is advisable to have patriotic education venues or activities;

b) It should undertake social responsibilities, organize or participate in public welfare activities and tourism benefit activities for the people;

c) It should have significant effects in driving local economic development, promoting social employment, and increasing tourism income for the people.