Tea artists demonstrate the Jingshan tea ceremony, a traditional tea-making technique, in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang province, on Nov 25. [Photo by Dong Xuming/For China Daily]

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on Dec 5 the release of ISO 14785:2024, a tourism international standard spearheaded by Zhejiang province.

This marks the first time China has led the development of an International Organization for Standardization standard in the tourism sector.

The standard, Tourism and Related Services — Tourist Information Services — Requirements and Recommendations, outlines six key areas: core service content, operational requirements, destination promotion, personnel qualifications, infrastructure, and feedback management. Enhancements over previous standards include broader applicability, expanded service guidelines, and new requirements for online consultation services.

The project was proposed in July 2021 by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism to the ISO Technical Committee on Tourism and Related Services. The proposal was approved in November 2021, and after three years of work — including seven stages from preliminary voting to draft review — the standard was unanimously adopted by ISO member countries.

The working group, chaired by Zhejiang experts, included participants from 19 countries such as Spain and Germany, as well as representatives from international organizations like the UN World Tourism Organization. Since its official release in November, the standard has been adopted in countries including Spain, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.