Actor Huang Bo makes a special appearance in the parade at the Qingdao Liyuan Comedy Festival in Shinan district, Qingdao. [Photo/Qingdao Morning Paper]

Cultural and tourism consumption in Qingdao has been on the rise this year. Innovative and distinctive festivals have provided a supplement to the regular cultural and tourism projects and formats, opening up new avenues for increasing cultural and tourism consumption.

The first Qingdao Linyuan Comedy Festival is a new example of hosting festivals in open historical areas. During the comedy festival from Sept 20 to 29, Qingdao's Zhongshan Road area received approximately 2.2 million domestic and foreign visitors, with a peak daily reception of 343,700 visitors.

With the current trend of traveling with performances popular among young people, Qingdao has expanded the creation of immersive, experiential, and interactive activities for festivals. These visitors from all over the country have also boosted consumption in various sectors such as dining, accommodation, transportation, shopping, and entertainment.

Qingdao's delicious seafood is mouth-watering, and developing "taste tourism" is something Qingdao is uniquely positioned for. This is a new and effective method, especially for night markets and rural tourist spots that are not in the city's main areas. 

For example, the food carnival in Qiaojiawa, to be held in the Qingdao West Coast New Area from Nov 8 to 17, will not only allow people to experience hundreds of delicious dishes but also enjoy the romantic and lively fireworks waterfall, as well as the intangible cultural heritage of fire pots and iron flower shows, which are expected to further integrate cultural tourism and local food services.