A homestay in Tongyugou village in Qingzhou, a county-level city in Weifang, East China's Shandong province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Authorities in East China's Shandong province have in the last two years been ramping up efforts to boost rural tourism.

For example, they have held a string of events to promote high-quality rural tourism brands, channeled resources towards cultivating more rural tourism destinations, as well as optimized the homestay environment and service items.

The province is currently home to more than 3,500 villages that are engaged in rural tourism, and 56 of them have been shortlisted as provincial key villages for rural tourism.

Authorities have also implemented a series of measures to advance the development of the homestay sector.

Earlier this year, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the Public Security Department of Shandong province and the Shandong Provincial Firefighting & Rescue Corps announced that they would streamline the approval procedures for homestays.

A streamlined approval process is currently on trial in cities such as Jinan, Rizhao and Linyi.

In addition, the province has established a pilot zone for homestay clusters, provided guidance to 34 homestay clusters and held contests to solicit design entries for homestays. More than 180 design works were submitted to these contests.

Homestays play a vital role in improving local residents' well-being, according to authorities.

Han Hongyan, a 35-year-old resident in Tongyugou village in Qingzhou, a county-level city in Weifang, now works at a homestay as a housekeeper and earns a decent salary from the job.

The village is presently home to 60 boutique homestays that generate an annual revenue of 12 million yuan ($1.69 million), according to Bian Yongsheng, the general manager of Shandong Jiulongyu Tourism Co Ltd, which had invested 160 million yuan to convert old homes into homestays.

He added that the renovation and upgrading of these old houses will not only provide job opportunities for locals but also improve the living environment of the village.