[Photo/chinanews.com.cn]

Shandong province in East China launched the Red Tourism Promotion Conference and 100 Red Tourism Self-driving Tours at Yanggu county, Liaocheng city, on May 30.

The event will promote the province's red tourism resources and routes and enrich red tourism activities.

At the launch ceremony, Wang Chunsheng from the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism said that the province boasted rich resources of red tourism such as old revolutionary base areas and revolutionary memorial museums that have become increasingly popular among tourists. Self-driving tours have also grown in popularity, with 56.76 percent of tourists in the province choosing to drive.

Wang also expressed his hope that departments in charge of culture and tourism will create more red tourism products and services, and that self-driving organizations could create more activities to promote red culture.

"Liaocheng is a typical revolutionary base area that is known for its revolutionary history and tradition. Liaocheng people demonstrated their determination and bravery in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the late 1940s," said Ma Weihong, deputy mayor of Liaocheng, who also spoke at the launch ceremony.

Zhou Qiang, deputy general manager of Shandong Sales Branch of CNPC, said that they would give full play to their advantages as a central enterprise and turn their gas stations in the province into red self-driving tour stations to enhance the promotion and attraction of red tourism.

The enterprise will launch preferential policies for red self-driving tours, customize gift packages for red self-driving tourists in the province, issue exclusive discount cards, and issue vouchers of 10 million yuan ($1.56 million). To provide exclusive value-added services, it plans to build 50 red tourism theme stations, 100 self-driving rest stations and 120 free car wash stations for those who self-drive.

The 100 red tourism self-driving tour activities is expected to form an innovative development network combining red tourism spots, revolution-related museums, memorial halls, exhibition halls and historical sites around the province.