A group of large rabbit-shaped lanterns in Fushan district in Yantai attracts crowds of visitors, adding a more festive vibe to the city during the recently concluded Spring Festival. [Photo/Jiaodong News]

Yantai's culture and tourism sector is seeing a strong rebound and the Spring Festival tourism market also boomed this year, following eased COVID-19 restrictions and the government rolling out measures to spur consumption.

Official data shows that during the Lantern Festival holiday, which lasted from Feb 2 to 5, more than 1 million visitors took part in the 2023 Lantern Festival and Folk Culture Festival to help boost consumer confidence and accelerate the recovery of the consumption market.

Yantai also stepped up its efforts to boost consumption by issuing vouchers and launching a range of promotional activities in order to promote economic recovery. According to the Yantai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the city will distribute culture and tourism vouchers worth 50 million yuan ($7.33 million) this year to support the recovery and expansion of consumption.

The culture and tourism vouchers are mainly for tourist attractions, star hotels, cultural experiences, intangible cultural heritage items, and culture and creative products.

The city's culture and tourism department has released 15 concrete measures this year, and the travel demand in Yantai showed significant recovery during this year's Spring Festival holiday. In the first three months of this year, a total of 32 3A-level scenic spots are offering free admission to visitors, and more than 10 million yuan in vouchers for stimulating consumption are being issued during the January-June period.

A series of activities to revive traditional culture provoked a rise in urban and rural travel this year in Yantai. The activities included making tea on a stove, village galas and fairs for Spring Festival celebrations, and more than 10,000 themed cultural activities were launched across the city during the Spring Festival holiday.