China plans to install or upgrade 64,000 toilets at tourist destinations from 2018 to 2020 in an effort to remove a major nuisance for travelers and develop domestic tourism.

 

中国计划从2018年至2020年安装或升级旅游景点6.4万座公共厕所，为旅游者减少麻烦以发展国内旅游业。

 

The three-year project should be able to provide good, clean toilets that are reasonably distributed and effectively managed, according to an action plan released by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Sunday.

 

It came on the heels of a three-year "toilet revolution" launched in 2015, which saw over 20 billion yuan (about 3 billion U.S. dollars) invested in installing or renovating¹ 68,000 toilets at tourist sites, exceeding the target of 57,000 toilets.

 

Li Jinzao, head of the CNTA, said the "toilet revolution" is an imperative² for upgrading tourism.

 

"Compared with the rapid growth of the tourism industry and people's increasing demand for better lives, the development [of toilets] is unbalanced and inadequate³. Another three-year program is urgently needed," Li said.

 

For the coming three years, authorities aim to add 47,000 toilets and renovate⁴ 17,000, according to the plan.

 

Toilets at China's tourist sites have a bad reputation, with visitors often angered by insufficient⁵ toilets, unhygienic conditions and lack of sanitation⁶ workers.

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