The Investment Promotion Conference on Key Cultural Tourism Projects in Shandong, a major activity of the 2023 Shandong Tourism Development Conference, was held at the Qingdao International Conference Center on March 26.

A total of 30 projects covering leisure and healthcare, marine tourism, rural tourism, study trips, and cultural experiences with a combined total investment of 226.98 billion yuan ($33.04 billion) and a financing need of 142.76 billion yuan were unveiled at the conference.

The 2023 Shandong Tourism Development Conference opens at the Qingdao International Conference Center on March 26. [Photo/Dazhong News]

In recent years, Shandong has strived to boost the integrated development of the cultural tourism and medical and healthcare industries. Every year, the province awards 10 demonstration counties in the sectors and grants each of them a fund of 10 million yuan to launch projects. 

Eight leisure and healthcare projects worth 26.01 billion yuan were launched during the conference including the Jinan Hot Spring Healthcare Industrial Park and the Zibo Swan Lake Romantic Park.  

Since 2013, Shandong has held the China International Cruise Summit for 10 consecutive sessions, established an exchange and cooperation platform for the cruise industry and facilitated the development of the entire industrial chain of marine tourism. 

At the conference, Shandong initiated three marine tourism projects - Yantai Sea World, Dongying Sea Dreamland and Rizhao Shanhaitian Yacht Wharf - with a total investment of 153.9 billion yuan.

The 2023 Shandong Tourism Development Conference is held in Qingdao city. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shandong has cultivated more than 3,500 large-scale rural tourism spots, 54 key villages and towns for national rural tourism, and 16 clusters of rural homestays. During the event, five rural tourism projects from Yantai, Weihai, Weifang and Tai'an cities were highlighted for their combined total investment of 12.1 billion yuan.

Shandong has also developed a series of boutique routes for study trips that feature history and culture, Red culture, museums and the ocean, and created brands of Nishan Holy Land, Jixia Academy and Mengshan Yishui. The conference promoted seven projects on tourism based on research and study that have a combined total investment of 18.2 billion yuan.

This year, Shandong will continue to build four cultural corridors along the Yellow River, the Grand Canal, the Great Wall of Qi, and the Huanghai and Bohai seas, as well as one cultural experience route along the Qingdao-Jinan high-speed railway. Seven cultural experience key projects were released during the event with a combined total investment of 16.78 billion yuan.