Tourism certification

The "Welcome Chinese Standard Certification," the only officially issued Chinese certification for overseas tourist businesses, was launched recently in Beijing. It aims to improve services for Chinese travelers and promote international destinations by developing facilities and services for Chinese tourists. Travel related business can apply for three kinds of certification - gold, silver and bronze, on its newly unveiled website welcomechinese.com.cn. Each level is subject to the number and nature of the services specifically dedicated to Chinese tourists. The certification is now mainly related to hotels, but will be expanded to other travel industry sectors such as transportation, food and museums in the future.