Yicai Global) Aug. 16 -- As universities are left with empty dormitories during the summer vacation, a university in Chengdu in China's southwestern province of Sichuan provides 50 dormitories to university students from other regions to spend their holiday. More universities are expected to follow suit in the future as the move is welcomed by a large number of travelers.

Southwest Minzu University in Chengdu provides 50 shared dormitories to backpackers and university students from other regions for one month during the summer vacation after the university's own students redesigned and transformed the dormitories to suit travelers' needs, Beijing News reported.

An official of the logistics group of the Southwest Minzu University said that backpackers and students can book the dormitories online or in person. They will receive an all-purpose card after paying the deposit. They can enjoy cafeteria and library services by spending CNY25 per day (USD3.7). The shared dormitories are widely welcomed by traveling students and others who are in the city for internship opportunities.

Beijing News learned from Chengdu municipal agencies that besides Southwest Minzu University, Sichuan Tourism School, Shuangliu District Tanghu Middle School, and Shuangliu Art Sports School are also planning "dormitory sharing" programs.

Professor Wang Yukai at the National School of Administration said that even though the "sharing economy" is becoming more and more popular in society, "colleges are still different from the general society and should take into consideration the feelings of students and their parents." Dormitories that are open during the summer vacation will still be included in the dormitory allotment system as student accommodation in the new semester, and colleges should pay special attention to related issues such as sanitation.

"Although colleges have an accommodation registration system in place, there is still a potential risk of people using fake identity certificates to check in. Nowadays, a person holding an all-purpose campus card can enter a lot of facilities on the campus. Colleges should consider their security from an overall perspective," Prof. Wang suggested.