The 2025 Shandong Cultural and Tourism Industry High-quality Development Conference will be held in Dezhou, Shandong province, from April 24 to 25, aiming to boost domestic demand and consumption as well as inbound tourism through a series of innovative cultural and tourism activities.

The opening ceremony will feature the launch of the Confucian cultural heritage tour route. Dezhou's Laoling Film Studio will introduce an immersive "parade-style" performance, allowing visitors to participate, customize experiences, interact, taste local flavors, and make purchases.

This year's conference will set up its first overseas sub-venue in Singapore. A China-Singapore tourism cooperation forum and a Shandong cultural and tourism industry promotion event will be held concurrently, inviting experts as well as representatives of airlines, scenic spots, and travel agencies from both countries to explore cooperation opportunities.

The conference will also showcase high-quality cultural and tourism offerings, such as a VR immersive theater project telling stories from Shanhaijing (Classics of Mountains and Seas), a large-scale Silk Road-themed performance in Qingdao, and a film, television, culture and tourism integration industrial park in Dezhou's Laoling.

Additionally, Shandong will introduce three policy documents to promote high-quality development in the cultural and tourism industry along the Yellow River, enhance the role of online travel platforms, and support the travel agency industry.

As for inbound tourism, Shandong has organized over 10 in-person promotional events this year, inviting representatives from more than 100 travel agencies and 10 foreign influencers. Over 30 core inbound tourism routes have been launched, which include seasonal activities like flower viewing, welcoming over 100 Southeast Asian tourists. In the first quarter, Shandong received 283,000 inbound tourists, a year-on-year increase of 80.9 percent.