What’s the Common Link Between China and Booming Tourism? Toilets!

Of all the things that one gets to hear about China- whether it is the talk about its booming economy, large-scale infrastructure investments, the outstanding growth of Ali Baba, one of its biggest companies ever- there is not really a talk about boosting tourism with regards to upscaling its public utilities.

Isn’t it? The talk, when China makes headlines and takes centre-stage isn’t about the condition of its public toilets (public utilities). Rather, one gets to hear more about the state of the economy and other geopolitical affairs that dominate discussion from the land of the oriental.

But now, things are slated for a bit of a change. Have you, it must be asked, ever wondered how bad is the state of China’s toilets? Where most countries have experienced and more and more are undergoing several forms of economic and ecological booms- for instance, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa sitting on the cusp of a new economic boom- China, is actually experiencing a toilet boom. 

Yes, there’s hardly a doubt about that. Recently, Xi Jinping, the Chinese supremo and leader of the state expressed concern about the state, rather the substandard quality of China’s waning public utilities. 

Speaking to the media, China’s elite leader shared that clean toilets are the cornerstone of a civilized society and help in a two-fold manner. Firstly, clean toilets help in boosting tourism- there’s hardly a doubt about that and, latter- they prove to be an important asset to improve the general level of hygiene in the country. 

He is now being described as a bathroom aficionado and a political figure driven to inspect the state of Chinese hygiene by visiting the last mile of the town and now, Xi Jinping has declared that he is doubling the number of toilets to be constructed across China. The move is part of a revolution that began, most noticeably, in 2015.

Leading state-run newspaper, People’s Daily recently shared some overwhelming figures of Xi Jinping’s ‘toilet-revolution’. It has been reported that as many as 68,000 improved bathrooms have been opened by the Xi Jinping administration as part of his toilet-boom campaign. The new civic utilities have come up at different regions of China that offer a welcoming abode for visitors travelling from different parts of the world.

The news is both interesting and exciting from the perspective of developing a greater interest in Chinese tourism as well as augmenting better image for much of China’s main heartland that has, for several decades, been marred by a notorious reputation for appalling standards of public restroom hygiene. 

One of the noted beneficiaries from China’s drive to uplift its state of civic hygiene is the Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve, located in the famous Sichuan province which has welcomed a series of new eco-toilets around the area. But locals from within China are also doing their bid to generate more awareness regarding basic toilet hygiene and rewarding enthusiasts who are rallying behind the state-driven improvement agenda.

Last year, China’s Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam held a competition to select the most outstanding toilets in tourist attractions.

Basic ideas aimed to alleviate concerns in hygiene have spruced up the general condition of new toilets with aspects such as odour eliminators, a motion sensor dustbin and green plants beautifying and improving the general standard of China’s noted new construction.