Tourists at the Haitan Bay Duty Free Shopping Complex in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province  Photo: VCG

More than 20 Chinese departments on Friday jointly launched measures to stimulate consumption in sectors ranging from cars and retail to tourism, all hit badly in the coronavirus outbreak, at a time when related companies are still wrestling with the lingering effects of the epidemic despite their efforts to get back on track.

Experts hailed the measures as "necessary" and "farsighted," as China must stabilize consumption, which contributed around 60 percent to GDP, a task which is becoming even more urgent as the deadly virus threatens economic growth. 

According to the released document, which was issued by 23 government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, China will develop new tourism itineraries and sites, while pushing the building of art streets, theatre clusters and cultural blocks to boost tourism. 

In particular, the government called on the use of high technologies, like cloud computing and big data, in tourism services. 

On retail, Chinese local governments are encouraged to support tax-free shops with land and financing. It also said certain areas in China will be allowed to ease restrictions on car purchases by increasing the quota for car license plates. 

China will also increase people's property income and enrich the category of wealth management products for residents, the document read. 

Zhao Ping, director of the international trade department at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said policy stimulus is necessary for China's consumption sector which is still in the early stages of recovery.

"Those policies will exert a lasting positive impact as they aim to improve the overall consumption environment by perfecting infrastructure, supply and government system, instead of triggering a mere short-term spending boom," she told the Global Times. 

Those measures will be rolled out at a time when China's consumption sector is taking a bad hit from the coronavirus outbreak, which forced the country to close shops and tourism sights during the Spring Festival period. 

Zhao told the Global Times that the coronavirus outbreak in China has led to a loss of at least 200 billion yuan ($29 billion) for restaurants, while losses could amount to two trillion yuan for retail and dining industries. 

Wu Shuocheng, a Shanghai-based car analyst, also agreed that the coronavirus is detrimental to many consumption sectors. 

"In the long process of consumption recovery, it's possible that some car dealers and parts suppliers might go bankrupt. Some car companies I know are cutting the salaries of their senior management to save on costs," Wu told the Global Times. 

As the epidemic subsides in China, consumption is already recovering but at a slow, hesitant pace. The disease's global spread has also cast a shadow on the recovery prospects of those industries. 

On Friday, an employee at the Shanghai Botanical Garden, which opened for the first time after the coronavirus hit, told the Global Times that only about 100 people had visited the garden while 10,000 are allowed to enter daily.  

Zhao nevertheless predicted that with government support and the waning epidemic, consumption could still achieve a 6 percent growth this year, compared with 8 percent in 2019.