On September 17, the Promotion Work Conference for Construction of Tourism Toilets and Tourism Poverty Relief of Yunnan Province was held in Stone Forest. The reporter learned on the conference that Yunnan Province will, in three years, build and rebuild 2,045 tourism toilets in the major tourism cities, public areas for clustering of urban tourists and major countryside tourism points. Meanwhile, the tourism toilets of the whole province will be open to public free of charge at the end of this year. 

Assistant Secretary Liu Ping of the provincial government offering comments on “tourism toilet revolution” and countryside tourism poverty relief

 “Presently the whole province has nearly 5,000 tourism toilets, basically relieving the tourists’ ‘difficulty in using toilet’”. Assistant Secretary Liu Ping of the provincial government indicated that in order to change the situation of “difficulty in using toilet despite its beautiful landscapes” in Yunnan, in association with the practical situation of the whole province, in three years from this year to 2017, totally 2,045 tourism toilets (653 to be built and 1,392 to be rebuilt) will be built and rebuilt in the major tourism cities, public areas for clustering of urban tourists, major countryside tourism points, tourism towns, major scenic areas (spots) and the areas along tourism transport lines.

Liu Ping emphasized that the building of tourism toilets should ensure “good appearance, convenience for use and easy to build and keep”. The appearance design of the toilets should be modern and fashionable while emphasizing the regional folklores and folkways and cultural characteristics. Meanwhile, the toilet should have complete functions, the ratio of toilets for men and women should be scientific, and such basic facilities should be prepared as squatting pan, pedestal pan, partition board, handgrab, coat and hat hook, hand cleaning equipment and mirror. In addition, operation management mode should be considered while the tourism toilets are planned and constructed to make the toilets managed once built. 

Visiting the ecological tourism toilet in Stone Forest Tourist Center  

Visiting the First Yi Village of Stone Forest

Liu Ping showed that the provincial government decided that all the tourism toilets of the whole provinces would be open to the tourists and the public free of charge. The tourism toilets that are still charging presently should be cleared carefully and charging should be canceled before the end of this year to reflect the purpose of bringing convenience to the tourists and the mass people. 

Hearing the introduction of tourism toilet construction and countryside tourism development of Stone Forest  

Visiting the countryside tourism point Wanjiahuan Ecological Park

In terms of tourism poverty relief, Liu Ping emphasized that countryside tourism should be developed vigorously relying on scenic spots and scenic areas to drive the people in poverty-stricken regions to get rich, with the aim up to 2020 to receive the tourists of more than 150 million person times for countryside tourism in the whole province, accounting for about 30% of the total number received in the whole province; the revenue from countryside tourism will reach RMB100 billion, accounting for about 20% of the total revenue from tourism; countryside tourism will directly and indirectly create employment of 1.2 million people; ensure to make 800,000 people get rich through tourism and try to make 1,000,000 people get rich, thus to make important contribution to ensuring Yunnan to build a well-off society in all aspects simultaneously with the whole country. 

The meeting place  

On the day, those present on the conference visited the Number 1 Yi Village of Stone Forest, ecological toilet of Stone Forest Tourist Center, toilet of Naigu Stone Forest Tourist Center and the countryside tourism point Wanjiahuan Ecological Park. They also heard the introduction of tourism toilet construction of Stone Forest.

On the conference, the representatives from Shilin County, Honghe Prefecture, Lijiang Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area and Dali Prefecture delivered speeches for exchange.