Lvwei Cultural Tourism: The Significance of Creating A-Level Scenic Spots and Interpretation of A-Level Scenic Spot Standards

Lvwei Introduction: Recently, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism published on its official website the 'Announcement on Proposed Designation of 12 Tourist Attractions as National 5A-Level Tourist Attractions.' The 12 tourist attractions have met the standards for national 5A-level tourist attractions and are proposed to be designated as such.

Over the years, Lvwei Cultural Tourism has provided planning, design, upgrading, construction, and operational consulting services to hundreds of scenic spots, covering various types including mountains, lakes, coastal areas, former residences of celebrities, and theme parks. This article is excerpted from Lvwei Cultural Tourism's electronic journal 'Scenic Spot Upgrading and A-Level Scenic Spot Creation,' and its main content includes the significance of creating A-level scenic spots and interpretation of A-level scenic spot standards.

The list of proposed national 5A-level tourist attractions is as follows:

1. Yellow River Hukou Waterfall Tourist Area (Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province · Linfen City, Shanxi Province)

2. Taizhou Prefecture City Cultural Tourism Area, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province

3. Sanbai Mountain Scenic Area, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province

4. Weishan Lake Tourist Area, Jining City, Shandong Province

5. Jigong Mountain Scenic Area, Xinyang City, Henan Province

6. Three Gorges Waterfall Scenic Area, Yichang City, Hubei Province

7. Huangyao Ancient Town Scenic Area, Hezhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

8. Baidi City · Qutang Gorge Scenic Area, Fengjie County, Chongqing City

9. Anren Ancient Town Scenic Area, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

10. Zhijin Cave Scenic Area, Bijie City, Guizhou Province

11. Guane Valley Scenic Area, Longnan City, Gansu Province

12. Jiangbulak Scenic Area, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The A-level rating of tourist attractions is the most authoritative standard for measuring the software and hardware development level of various scenic spots in China today. It is a brand symbol of the comprehensive strength of a tourist attraction and an overall improvement of the tourism environment and development quality of the scenic spot. China divides the quality levels of tourist attractions into five grades, from high to low: AAAAA, AAAA, AAA, AA, and A-level tourist attractions. The division into five levels reflects not only the difference in grade but also the comprehensive competitiveness of a scenic spot.

The national implementation of A-level creation work, especially the creation of 5A-level, aims to urge local governments to increase investment in core scenic spots, improve hardware facilities, strengthen management to enhance soft capabilities, and select from the existing 4A-level tourist attractions nationwide a batch of high-quality attractions that meet the demands of domestic and foreign tourists and are internationally competitive, making them truly benchmark and 'ultimate' tourism products.

The Significance of Creating A-Level Scenic Spots

Under the current situation, creating A-level tourist attractions is a necessary way to further accelerate the improvement of tourism image and taste, and enhance the competitiveness of tourism products. This work is beneficial to the country and the people for scenic spots, governments, and regional development, and should be regarded as a top priority in regional tourism development.

1. Milestone significance for the scenic spot

The scenic spot itself is the leader in the practice of A-level creation and also the core stakeholder. Creating A-level scenic spots is a systematic project that requires checking against the national 'Classification and Evaluation of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions' detailed rules, inspecting eight major parts including tourist transportation, sightseeing, tourism safety, sanitation, postal and telecommunications services, tourism shopping, comprehensive management, and resource and environmental protection, and providing improvement solutions for each. It can be said that A-level creation is a historic baptism for the development of scenic spots and has milestone significance.

Creating A-level scenic spots is an unprecedented reform for upgrading and enhancing the comprehensive quality of scenic spots; it is an internal driving force for excavating the core connotation of scenic spots, effectively improving their attractiveness and competitiveness; it is an effective way to expand the radiation radius of scenic spots, significantly increasing their market influence; it is an external driver for planning scenic spot service management, improving visitor satisfaction; it is an important opportunity to attract attention from all levels of society to scenic spots, thereby enhancing their visibility and reputation.

2. It is a booster for the government to create a tourism investment environment

A-level creation work cannot be separated from the attention and support of the government. The spillover benefits brought by successful A-level creation can directly feed back to the government's needs. These spillover benefits are manifested in political benefits, livelihood benefits, tax benefits, investment benefits, etc. For the government, creating A-level scenic spots is a cause that 'merits merit in the present and stands for eternity,' worthy of the government's great efforts to foster and support.

Creating A-level scenic spots, especially 4A or 5A-level, is a core task to showcase local culture and build government image projects; creating A-level scenic spots forms a regional tourism development environment driven by A-level scenic spots, which is an important way to leverage the multiplier effect of tourism, stimulate employment, and improve people's livelihoods; creating A-level scenic spots is an effective means to increase tourism revenue and enhance the contribution of the tourism industry to government tax revenue; creating A-level scenic spots can lead the government to implement policy preferences for the tourism industry and is a booster for the government to attract investment from tourism enterprises.

3. It is a lever for regional comprehensive development

If a region has more than one national 5A-level tourist attraction, it will enhance the visibility of the surrounding area, attract more tourists for sightseeing, attract more businessmen to invest and start businesses, and attract more leaders to pay attention to and support the region's development, facilitating the aggregation of people, goods, capital, and information, bringing more policy opportunities and business opportunities for economic and social development. Therefore, the impact of A-level creation is not limited to the tourism industry itself; its impact on regional development is comprehensive and gradual. This impact is manifested in changing the regional tourism development pattern, improving regional brand visibility, promoting regional industrial structure upgrading, and optimizing regional urban-rural development structure.

Creating A-level scenic spots can raise the 'grade' of regional tourist attractions and promote the great development of regional tourism; it can promote the strategic reorganization of regional tourism resources and achieve optimized combination of different scenic spots; by enhancing the visibility of core tourist attractions, it can radiate and drive the improvement of regional external visibility; by developing the tourism industry to drive the development of other industries, it can promote the transformation and upgrading of regional industrial structure; through tourism guiding the development of surrounding towns, it explores a new type of urban development framework guided by tourism.

Interpretation of 'Classification and Evaluation of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions'

In the 1980s and 1990s, China's scenic spots developed rapidly, with increasing numbers, but a series of problems also emerged. Therefore, the former National Tourism Administration began to organize the drafting of the standard 'Classification and Evaluation of Quality Grades of Tourist Areas (Spots)', which was officially implemented on October 1, 1999. To strengthen the development and construction of numerous tourist attractions managed by different industries and departments, improve service quality and environmental quality, protect the legitimate rights and interests of scenic spots and tourists, and promote the protection and utilization of tourism resources, in 2003, the National Tourism Administration revised and promulgated the 'Classification and Evaluation of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions' (GB/T 17775-2003) as the main reference standard and specification for scenic spot management. Subsequently, this standard was revised again, released on October 28, 2004, and officially implemented on January 1, 2005. The implementation of this standard brought the management of tourist attractions into a unified management category, breaking the self-monopoly of industries and departments to which scenic spots originally belonged, and benefiting the development, construction, management, protection, and sustainable development of tourist attractions. In 2012, to strengthen the evaluation and management of quality grades of tourist attractions, the former National Tourism Administration issued the 'Measures for the Administration of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions'. In 2015, the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Administration accepted the task from the National Tourism Administration to revise the 'Classification and Evaluation of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions' and formed a draft for comments. In early 2016, after multiple discussions and revisions by provinces and relevant experts, the revision was completed, but the revised version has not been officially approved. The version currently in effect is still the 2003 version. With the development of the times, the 2003 version already has many contents that are not adapted to the current situation, and continuous revision will be inevitable.

(I) Evaluation Basis

According to the current 'Classification and Evaluation of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions' (GB/T 17775-2003) standard, comprehensive evaluation is conducted in conjunction with detailed rules scores. Tourist attraction quality grades are divided into five levels, from high to low: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A (commonly referred to as 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A). At the same time, the signage and certificates of quality grades of tourist attractions are uniformly specified by the national tourist attraction quality grade evaluation institution.

Any tourist attraction that has been officially open for more than one year within the People's Republic of China may apply for a quality grade. Tourist attraction quality grades are divided into five levels, from low to high: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A.

1. Evaluation Institutions

3A-level and below tourist attractions are evaluated by provincial tourist attraction quality grade evaluation committees authorized by the National Tourist Attraction Quality Grade Evaluation Committee. Provincial evaluation committees may further authorize prefecture-level city evaluation committees that have mature conditions. 4A-level tourist attractions are recommended by provincial evaluation committees and evaluated by the national committee. 5A-level tourist attractions are selected from 4A-level ones. Tourist attractions that have been announced as 4A-level for more than three years may apply for 5A-level. 5A-level tourist attractions are recommended by provincial evaluation committees and evaluated by the national committee.

2. Application Process

For tourist attractions applying for 3A-level and below, the local evaluation institution submits an application report, 'Tourist Attraction Quality Grade Evaluation Report', and creation materials step by step. Creation materials include work report on scenic spot creation, specific compliance descriptions and pictures of service quality and environmental quality, and specific compliance descriptions and pictures of scenic spot resource value and market value. The provincial or authorized prefecture-level city evaluation institution organizes evaluation, directly announces compliant scenic spots, issues certificates and signage, and reports to the national committee for record.

For tourist attractions applying for 4A-level, the local evaluation institution submits application report, evaluation report, and creation materials step by step. The provincial evaluation institution organizes preliminary evaluation. Compliant scenic spots are recommended by the provincial institution to the national committee, which conducts inspections through open and secret visits. Compliant scenic spots are announced, and certificates and signage are issued.

For tourist attractions applying for 5A-level, the local evaluation institution submits application report, evaluation report, and creation materials (including electronic version) step by step. The provincial evaluation institution organizes preliminary evaluation. Compliant scenic spots are recommended by the provincial institution to the national committee.

(II) Evaluation Details

According to the 'Measures for the Administration of Quality Grade Evaluation of Tourist Attractions' and the national standard 'Classification and Evaluation of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions' (GB/T17775-2003), these details are formulated. The details are divided into three parts: Detail 1: Service Quality and Environmental Quality Scoring Details; Detail 2: Landscape Quality Scoring Details; Detail 3: Visitor Opinion Scoring Details.

Conditions that each scenic spot needs to meet are as follows:

1. Service Quality and Environmental Quality Scoring Details

Scoring elements for service quality and environmental quality are as follows:

2. Landscape Quality Scoring Details

The landscape quality scoring details consist of two major evaluation items—resource element value and landscape market value—and nine evaluation factors, with a total score of 100 points. Among them, resource attractiveness is 65 points, and market attractiveness is 35 points. Each evaluation factor is divided into four scoring levels. Resource attractiveness is composed of three evaluation factors: viewing and recreation value (40 points), thematic feature appeal (15 points), and comprehensive consumption function (15 points). Market influence is composed of three evaluation factors: visibility (10 points), reputation (10 points), and radiation power (10 points). Each evaluation factor is divided into four scoring levels.

Viewing and recreation value is mainly based on certifications or proofs from authoritative institutions or experts at home and abroad, relative ranking among similar scenic spots at the same level, etc., to conduct graded evaluation of the scenic spot's resource brand value, rarity and uniqueness value, scale and abundance value, and integrity value.

Thematic feature appeal is mainly based on the theme slogan and logo, the degree of integration of thematic features into various tourism consumption service links, etc., for graded evaluation, emphasizing relative ranking or features among similar scenic spots at the same level.

Comprehensive consumption function is mainly based on indicators such as the number of types of tourism service functions possessed by the scenic spot and its supporting towns, the proportion of ticket revenue in the scenic spot's total revenue, and the per capita tourist expenditure, etc., for graded evaluation.

Resource element value evaluation elements are as follows:

Landscape market value

Landscape market value evaluation elements are as follows:

3. Visitor Satisfaction Details

Very satisfactory

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

accessibility

Internal tour routes

Inner itinerary

Facilities for sightseeing

Signs for directions

introduction board

information material

visiting guide

service quality

safety & security

Environmental hygiene

Toilet

phone & post service

souvenir and shopping

Food & beverage

public order

scenery & relic protection

overall impression

Name, country (province, city) name

Conditions for Participation and Creation Process for 5A Scenic Spots

(I) Conditions for Participation

1. Have passed the 4A-level tourist attraction evaluation and been at 4A for at least 3 years

According to Article 12 of the 'Measures for the Administration of Quality Grades of Tourist Attractions' (Travel Office [2012] No. 166): 5A-level tourist attractions are selected from 4A-level ones, and tourist attractions that have been announced as 4A-level for more than three years may apply for 5A-level.

2. Annual visitor volume reaches 600,000 or more

5A-level tourist attractions require an annual domestic and international visitor volume of at least 600,000, including at least 50,000 overseas visitors.

3. Scenic area not less than 3 square kilometers

The area of a 5A-level tourist attraction shall not be less than 3 square kilometers. Internal tourist spots within the scenic area, such as gardens within gardens or scenes within scenes, are not evaluated separately.

(II) Material Preparation

To create a national 5A-level tourist attraction, the following materials need to be submitted:

1. Application report for creating a national 5A-level tourist attraction;

2. Work plan and situation report for creating a national 5A-level tourist attraction;

3. Application and evaluation report for tourist attraction quality grade;

4. Resource quality and market impact report (compliance description for detailed rule 1);

Typically, this material also includes a resource quality (video) presentation, a written report on resource quality and market impact, and a corresponding PPT presentation.

5. Facility and service quality report (compliance description for detailed rule 2).

(III) Creation Process

The evaluation procedure of the National Tourist Attraction Quality Grade Evaluation Committee for applying 5A-level tourist attractions is as follows:

1. Document review. The national committee conducts a comprehensive review of the application documents based on scenic spot evaluation standards and detailed rules. The review includes the scenic spot name, scope, management organization, rules and regulations, and development status. Scenic spots that pass the review enter the landscape evaluation procedure; those that do not pass may reapply after one year.

2. Landscape value evaluation. The national committee forms an evaluation panel composed of experts from relevant fields, listens to the presentation of the applying scenic spot, and uses differential voting to evaluate the scenic spot's resource attractiveness and market influence. Evaluation includes scenic spot's viewing and recreation value, historical, cultural, and scientific value, visibility, reputation, and market radiation. Scenic spots that pass the landscape evaluation enter the on-site inspection stage; those that do not pass may reapply after two years.

3. On-site inspection. The national committee organizes national inspectors to form an evaluation team and conducts on-site inspections of service quality and environmental quality through secret visits. Inspection includes basic service facilities such as transportation, public service facilities such as safety and sanitation, tour service facilities such as guided tours and shopping, network service systems such as e-commerce, protection of historical culture and natural environment, and guiding tourists to travel civilly. Scenic spots that pass the on-site inspection enter the public announcement procedure; those that do not pass may reapply for on-site inspection after one year.

4. Public announcement. The national committee conducts a seven-working-day public announcement on China Travel Web for applying scenic spots that meet the standards. Scenic spots with no major objections or major complaints during the announcement period pass. If major objections or complaints arise, the national committee will verify and investigate and make a corresponding decision.

5. Release announcement. Scenic spots that pass the announcement without major objections or major complaints will have a quality grade certification announcement released by the national committee, and certificates and signage will be issued.