China Adjusts Land Policy to Expand Tourism Spatial Supply and Curb Real Estate

Chinese regulatory authorities have introduced targeted land-use policies to bolster the tourism sector while preventing unauthorized property development. Jointly issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the guideline integrates tourism spatial planning into territorial mapping, allows small-scale rural facilities such as boardwalks and rest stops without altering original land classification, and pilots bundled natural resource asset allocation. Crucially, the policy explicitly bars developers from exploiting tourism projects to build villas, private estates, golf courses, or imitation-historic towns.

The policy addresses long-standing regulatory bottlenecks that have impeded eco-tourism, rural hospitality, and outdoor leisure projects, where building minor infrastructure previously triggered lengthy land conversion approvals. By enabling small-scale amenities to be managed under their original land classification and testing combined asset supply models, Beijing aims to unlock domestic consumer spending. Simultaneously, the strict prohibition against property speculation and faux-antique developments seeks to curb local debt accumulation and preserve genuine cultural landscapes.

China's central planners have issued a comprehensive policy framework designed to expand spatial land supply for the country's tourism industry while enforcing strict safeguards against illicit real estate development, according to a press briefing hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The directive, jointly released by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, sets out targeted measures to align natural resource allocation with high-quality tourism growth. Authorities stated the initiative seeks to resolve land-use bottlenecks, revitalize inefficient parcels, and stimulate domestic consumer demand. Under the framework, tourism spatial needs during the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period will be integrated into the country's unified digital territorial planning system, known as the 'single map.' Detailed planning for scenic sites will be merged into regional spatial master plans, provided that existing redlines—including ecological protection areas and permanent basic cropland—remain strictly unbreached. To address structural hurdles facing rural and eco-tourism operators, the guideline introduces flexible land-use classification. Small, dispersed public service amenities located away from urban centers, such as refueling stations, rest stops, and staging posts, may be designated as independent urban construction land outside formal urban growth boundaries. Moreover, minor supporting infrastructure—including elevated boardwalks, footpaths, ecological toilets, and scenic management offices—as well as country parks that do not alter the existing character of the land, can now be managed under their original land classifications and tracked via the national digital platform. The policy also introduces an innovative transaction mechanism for integrated destinations. Where a tourism project requires multiple categories of natural resources, such as land, forests, ocean areas, or mineral sites, authorities are encouraged to bundle these rights into a single asset package. This will permit a one-off competitive allocation and coordinated commercial operation rather than fragmented, sector-by-sector leasing. Alongside administrative facilitation, the agencies drew an unambiguous boundary against commercial exploitation. The guideline explicitly forbids altering designated land uses under the pretext of tourism to construct luxury villas, private estates, commercial housing developments, golf courses, theme parks, or imitation-historic towns and streets.