Ministry of Culture and Tourism launches green low-carbon certification pilot outlets

On June 10, 2026, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the State Administration for Market Regulation launched a pilot program for the “green low-carbon certification” of cultural and tourism service exports in Henan, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, and awarded certification qualifications to the first batch of 32 local service providers, among which Henan Lely Travel Service Co., Ltd. is included. Based on the disclosed information, this move is noteworthy not only because the certification itself has entered the pilot implementation stage, but also because it has been clearly defined as a third-party compliant certificate prioritized for adoption under the EU CBAM service extension guidelines and the RCEP green services chapter, meaning that procurement access, ESG due diligence, and supplier screening in cultural and tourism service exports are now seeing more concrete compliance references.

The pilot program has entered a recognizable implementation stage

According to confirmed information, on June 10, 2026, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the State Administration for Market Regulation officially launched the “green low-carbon certification” pilot for cultural and tourism service exports in Henan, Zhejiang, and Guangdong.

On the same day, the first batch of 32 local service providers obtained certification qualifications, including Henan Lely Travel Service Co., Ltd.

According to the event summary, this certification will serve as a third-party compliant certificate prioritized for adoption under the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Service Extension Guidelines and the RCEP green services chapter.

The disclosed statement also points out that this certificate will directly affect the efficiency and qualification assessment of overseas buyers when conducting ESG due diligence on Chinese suppliers.

From reception services to overseas procurement, the impact is extending through the industrial chain

Local reception and cultural tourism service export entities are facing more specific qualification recognition

Analysis shows that the first entities affected are the local reception service providers and related service suppliers directly involved in cultural and tourism service exports. The reason is that certification is no longer merely an internal management or brand-display item; instead, it is being used in overseas procurement and compliance review scenarios. For such companies, the main impact will be reflected in supplier qualification display, customer due diligence and cooperation, preparation of bidding or quotation materials, and the compliance capability to communicate with overseas purchasers.

What is currently more worthy of attention is how enterprises will present certification status in their business materials, and whether overseas customers will treat the certificate as one of the pre-qualification review materials. Since the summary does not provide specific implementation rules, this point should still be regarded as an observation item.

Overseas procurement and channel partners may adjust screening and qualification access processes

From an industry perspective, overseas purchasers, channel partners, and relevant project procurement parties may also be directly affected. Since the certification is described as a third-party compliant certificate prioritized for adoption, purchasers may place greater emphasis on certification status and supporting documents when conducting ESG due diligence, supplier comparison, and qualification review.

The core of such changes is not necessarily the addition of entirely new rules, but rather the emergence of a more explicit and easier-to-reference compliant certificate in the existing procurement review process. For procurement parties, the focus will be on the efficiency of supplier qualification verification, the basis for admission decisions, and compliance documentation retention in cross-border cooperation.

The importance of certification and supporting service links is rising

Observation shows that the importance of certification-related services, compliance arrangement, and certificate preparation as supporting links is also rising. When a certification is incorporated into the preferred adoption scope under international procurement and regional trade rule contexts, whether a company can provide clear, verifiable, and consistent materials in time will affect customer judgment efficiency.

However, based on the available information, it is not yet possible to determine whether the specific document checklist, review cycle, or unified template has been fully clarified, so it is more appropriate to understand this as a rising demand for supporting services rather than a finalized set of execution requirements.

What real-world changes should enterprises focus on now

First check whether the certification has entered the customer review document list

Analysis suggests that related enterprises should first pay attention to whether existing customers or potential overseas buyers will include “green low-carbon certification” in supplier review, procurement evaluation, or cooperation access materials. For certified enterprises, this relates to how qualifications are accurately disclosed in external materials; for enterprises not included in the first batch list, it relates to whether a new comparative dimension will appear in subsequent business negotiations.

Then see whether official channels and implementation details continue to become more specific

The current event has already released a clear implementation signal, but the summary does not provide more detailed certification boundaries, scope of application, material requirements, or update mechanisms. Enterprises should continue to monitor whether subsequent official statements further clarify applicable scenarios, certificate channels, alignment with cross-border procurement rules, and related details, so as to avoid overstating facts in external commitments or market promotion.

Attach importance to the consistency of due diligence files and delivery materials

If overseas purchasers use this to raise the requirements for ESG due diligence efficiency and qualification assessment, then enterprises in actual business operations need to pay attention to consistency between certification information, service descriptions, cooperation qualification materials, and delivery documents. Especially in quotation, pre-contract communication, qualification submission, and subsequent performance materials, inconsistencies in related content may affect customer judgment efficiency.

Pay attention to the possibility of the pilot program extending to more market scenarios

Observation shows that although current known information focuses on the three-province pilot and the first batch of certified entities, what still deserves attention at the market execution level is whether this certification will be cited in more procurement documents, cooperation reviews, or supplier directory updates. Since the input information does not provide an expansion schedule or timeline, this can only be treated as a direction for follow-up observation rather than a confirmed outcome.

This looks more like a signal of rule implementation than a complete draft of details

The editorial view is that the key signal of this piece of information is not how many abstract concepts were added, but that “green low-carbon certification” has already moved from the policy advocacy level into the pilot implementation and market recognition stage. Especially after being clearly linked with the EU CBAM service extension guidelines and the RCEP green services chapter, the industry should regard it as a reusable certificate for outward-oriented cultural and tourism service compliance capability.

At the same time, caution is still needed. Observation suggests that the current stage is more like a clear execution direction, but the specific applicable channels, material boundaries, and weight changes in procurement practice still need continued verification through subsequent official refinement, changes in bidding documents, and market feedback.

How should this pilot be understood at the current stage

In summary, this pilot does not release a simple certification news item; rather, it signals that cultural and tourism service export rules are becoming more closely connected with green, low-carbon, ESG due diligence, and cross-border procurement access. For local reception service providers, cultural and tourism export entities, and overseas procurement-related parties, the most realistic change in the short term is that certification qualifications will begin to carry more direct transactional communication value.

Therefore, the current more appropriate understanding is that this is a signal of implementation that has already taken root: the pilot and first-batch certification facts are already clear, but the specific impact on applicable details, market adoption intensity, and business process adjustments still needs continued observation.

Sources and follow-up verification directions for this article

This article is generated based on the title, event time, and event summary provided by the user, and the confirmed facts are limited to the scope of the information given. The source types usually related to such events may include official announcements, releases from regulatory authorities, information from the trade authority, industry association information, standard organization documents, and reports from authoritative media.

Because no specific official source link was provided in the input, the relevant statements still need to be continuously verified against formal public documents. In particular, the following should be observed later: whether policy details are issued, whether the certification implementation channels are further clarified, whether bidding or procurement documents show corresponding changes, how the industry response evolves, and how the enterprise applies it in actual implementation.

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