Tourists take a group photo at the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Jining. [Photo/WeChat account: jnwhlyj]

Jining in East China's Shandong province had been leading the region in the development of its tourism and cultural industries over the last year, local media outlets reported.

The city attracted a total of 28.63 million tourists over the first three quarters in 2020, equivalent to 45.98 percent of the number in the same period of 2019, despite the impact of COVID-19 on these industries. Its tourism revenue over the first nine months of last year totaled 28.7 billion yuan ($4.45 billion), with a growth rate ranking sixth in the province.

The educational tourism in Jining, which is a creative idea that is increasingly well developed in the city, has become one of the top 10 industries in Shandong.

In addition, three cultural and tourism programs had been initiated, with 91 million yuan in investment.

To promote the development of the tourism and cultural industries, the local government has made great efforts, such as providing fiscal support and holding various activities, to increase consumer demand and stimulate consumption.

A reward of 1.83 million yuan was offered to 44 companies for their contribution to the city's cultural and tourism development. In addition, more than 168,000 coupons were handed out for cultural and tourism products. A variety of charges, such as deposits for travel agencies and registration fees for tour guides, were reduced or waived.

The city library and museums held over 320 events and received more than 1 million visitors last year. In addition, a total of 8,347 shows were staged in rural areas. Dozens of scenic spots and cultural venues developed nighttime activities and attracted over 4 million tourists, generating nearly 3 billion yuan in tourism revenue.