File photo shows a "star-level" public toilet at Nanbin Road of Chongqing Municipality. [Photo/China News Service]

The National Tourism Administration has announced a shift away from building five-star luxury public restrooms in favor of environmentally friendly and practical toilets, the Beijing News reported on Friday.

The new evaluation and grading standards for public toilets classify public toilets into three grades, from 1A to 3A, rather than hotel-like star-based ratings.

The administration has also called for simple, clean, and environmentally friendly public toilets, instead of luxurious, highly decorated restrooms.

The administration says it will invest in 33,000 new public restrooms and the reconstruction of 24,000 old ones over the next three years.

In order to meet the requirements of China's large tourism industry, authorities are also introducing advanced water-saving, energy-saving, and deodorizing techniques to build more water-free toilets and bio-toilets, the report says.

Li Jin, the director general of the administration, says public restrooms are necessary facilities for tourists. They are also a reflection of public service standards and symbols of the progress of tourism culture.

In order to enhance public service standards, the special demands of the elderly, women, children, and the disabled should also be considered, he says.

In 2003, the department formulated a public toilet construction and administration standard, which classified public bathrooms into one of five different service levels. Luxury five-star ratings applied to buildings over 150 square meters in size and equipped with telephones, chairs or even TVs.

The amended standard encourage scenic spots to place more emphasis on creating a practical and sanitary environment.