Coastal cities in Shandong province witness a surge in tourism, welcoming 480 million domestic tourists in 2024. [Photo/Dazhong News]

According to statistics, Shandong's seven coastal cities received 480 million domestic tourists in 2024, generating 536 billion yuan ($74 billion) in tourism revenues, year-on-year increases of 11.5 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively.

Shandong's marine tourism has been thriving in recent years with the introduction of new scenes, platforms, and projects. For instance, Qingdao was designated as Tourism and Cultural Capital of the SCO, Weihai Rongcheng's Yandunjiao village was honored as one of the "Best Tourism Villages of 2024" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the Qingdao Olympic Sailing and Marine Culture Tourist Area was designated a national 5A-level scenic spot, and the Sunshine Coast Camping Park in Rizhao was named a 5C-level personal caravan campsite.

Marine services, including marine tourism, marine transportation, and marine public services, are an important breakthrough for the high-quality development of Shandong's marine economy and a key driver of its growth.

In 2024, the added value of the province's marine service industry grew by 6.9 percent, contributing 3.5 percentage points to the marine economy's overall growth, up by 1 percentage point from the previous year.