Editor's note: A national meeting on the development of the tourism sector was held in Beijing on Friday. At the meeting, Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, conveyed the top Chinese leader's important instructions on the development of the tourism industry. The following is a digest of the summary of the meeting the Ministry of Culture and Tourism posted on its official WeChat account.

In his instructions on work related to the tourism sector, given at the National Tourism Development Conference held on Friday, the top Chinese leader called for efforts to promote the high-quality development of the tourism sector to bolster economic growth.

He pointed out that since the launch of reform and opening-up, especially since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has fostered the biggest domestic tourism market in the world and has become the largest source of international tourists and a top tourist destination.

He put forward three principles for the development of the tourism industry. First, scenic sites and historical culture should always be safeguarded. On this basis, only by daring to change can we achieve a comprehensive upgrade of traditional tourism formats, products and services.

Second, the service quality should be improved and efficiency enhanced. The purpose of tourism innovation should always focus on improving quality and efficiency, and it's necessary to rationally develop limited tourism resources to create more high-quality and famous tourism products.

Third, there should be integrated development. More industries, such as education, transportation and sports should be integrated with tourism and they should be developed synergistically. The more integration there is, the more conducive it is to extending the industry chain, creating new value and fostering new formats.

A holistic approach to government and the market, supply and demand, protection and development, domestic and international markets, as well as development and security should be adopted so the tourism industry can seize new opportunities and meet challenges.

With the high attention of the top leadership, the active support of the people, and its rich natural resources, China has the conditions and scope to build a strong tourism industry to further promote economic development, showcase China's image, and enhance exchanges between civilizations.