(Yang Yixia, Cong Yujie) At a press conference held by the Shandong Provincial Government on April 22, it was announced that the 2025 Shandong Cultural and Tourism Industry High-Quality Development Conference will be held in Dezhou from April 24 to 25. The opening ceremony will launch the “Journey of the Great Way” Confucian cultural relics-themed travel route and will see the signing of 18 major cultural tourism projects with a total investment of 15.45 billion RMB.
“In the first quarter, Shandong received 283,000 inbound tourists, an 80.9% year-on-year increase,” said Sun Lei, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shandong Province. Since the beginning of the year, Shandong has invited over 100 travel agencies and 10 foreign influencers for inspection tours, and launched over 30 core inbound travel routes targeting different markets. During the conference, the first batch of 10 “Hometown of Confucius – Hospitable Shandong” inbound tourism partners, including associations and travel agencies from South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong SAR, will be awarded plaques. Sun also shared with Ta Kung Wen Wei Media that during the upcoming 2025 Hong Kong-Macao Shandong Week, Shandong will focus on promoting youth study tour programs in Hong Kong.
The conference will issue a Special Action Plan for Enhancing Inbound Tourism Services, proposing immediate tax refunds at departure, encouraging more merchants to join the tax refund network. It aims to open 8 international flight routes and operate 30 international cruises annually, achieve one-hour customs clearance, implement 24-hour visa-free transit, and encourage outbound business delegations to promote inbound tourism.
According to Liu Shaohua, another Deputy Director-General, the 18 key projects span performing arts and film complexes, wellness tourism, low-altitude aviation, and more. Examples include the large-scale “Silk Road Eternal Love” performance in Qingdao and the Dezhou-Leling Film and Tourism Integration Park.
During the conference, activities such as inspection tours, cultural tourism project showcases, and matchmaking events via the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s industry service platform will also take place. The opening ceremony will feature a cultural tourism drama aboard the “Hospitable Shandong·Qilu No.1” tourist train. At the Leling Film City, the filming site of the movie Detective Tang 1900 and the drama Splendid Beauty, immersive theatrical experiences will be launched. For the first time, an overseas sub-venue will be held in Singapore, hosting the 2025 China-Singapore Tourism Cooperation Forum and the Shandong Cultural Tourism Promotion Conference (Singapore), inviting scholars, airlines, and attractions from both countries to participate.
