A promotional campaign focusing on culture and tourism consumption during the summer holiday kicked off on Monday in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province.
Over 39,000 cultural tourism consumption events will be launched across the country from July to August to unleash consumption potential.
Covering more than 4,300 consumption categories, these events will be held during the typical peak season for traveling and consumption, along with favorable measures for consumers, such as the provision of coupons, discounts, and cheaper package deals. The total amount of consumption subsidies will exceed 570 million yuan (about 80 million U.S. dollars).
The campaign will feature an array of tourism activities for tourists to escape the heat, including opera performances, exhibitions, night tours and study travels.
"This summer, we will organize over 30 state-level water sports events, covering a variety of activities such as rowing, kayaking, sailing, and motorboating. These events will take place across multiple coastal and riverside provinces and cities, including Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Hubei. This initiative will further promote the integrated development of water sports and cultural and tourism projects, as well as boost the outdoor sports industry," said Li Zhongyi, director of the Water Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China.
Qingdao City, where the main event of the campaign was hosted, is also gearing up for a substantial surge in travel and tourism as the bustling summer vacation season has already begun.
By tapping into its coastal tourism resources, Qingdao has created a range of new marine tourism products. A multi-stop maritime tourism network has been established, which is jointly operated by 63 local passenger transport companies, offering routes such as "night cruise in Fushan Bay of Qingdao."
"This year, Qingdao has planned to invest 17 million yuan in distributing cultural and tourism consumption coupons, with the first batch of 10 million yuan already released to the market. At the same time, we will host exhibitions featuring study tours, food, and intangible cultural heritage. We will also introduce new formats of cultural and tourism products with immersive experiences, including study tours, industrial tourism and wellness tourism, to enhance the quality of summer cultural and tourism consumption," said Guo Jichao, deputy director of the Department for Industrial Development of Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.
The summer holiday that spans July and August each year is a peak season for domestic tourism, especially among families with children. Data from online travel platforms showed that domestic trips during this summer holiday, judging by current bookings, will increase by at least 30 percent year on year.
Summer tourism campaign launched to stimulate consumption
