China eyes rural tourism for poverty alleviation

BEIJING - China wants to develop tourism in rural areas to help lift more people out of poverty as the government has identified poverty eradication as the key task in the building of a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

China aims to lift 12 million people out of poverty through tourism from 2016 to 2020, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

In southwest China's Guizhou province, authorities have identified thousands of tourism resources and supported 14 impoverished counties to build tourist areas.

The projects have helped 70,000 villagers raise their incomes to above the provincial poverty line, according to the CNTA.

Across the country, local governments have mobilized efforts and pumped funding into improving infrastructure and services in rural areas to facilitate the development of tourism.

China has set 2020 as the target to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society, which requires the eradication of poverty.

As of the end of 2016, there were 43.35 million Chinese living below the national poverty line.