Shandong sees spring economy boom over Qingming Festival

Shandong welcomes more than 8.92 million visitors during this year's Qingming Festival holiday. [Photo/Dazhong News]

During the 2026 Qingming Festival, Shandong's cultural and tourism market saw robust growth. Key monitoring data shows that 200 scenic spots received a total of 8.92 million visitors, up 7.1 percent year-on-year. This generated 490 million yuan ($71.7 million) in revenue, a 6.9 percent increase compared to the same period last year. 

Public cultural venues served over 2.06 million people, up 12.3 percent.

Cultural activities thrived. Many libraries, art museums, and galleries hosted themed exhibitions, intangible heritage experiences, and reading events. Qingdao, Yantai, Jining, and Liaocheng offered diverse programs blending tradition with modern forms of engagement such as themed reading, exhibition, and interactive experiences.

Spring outings drove consumption. Short-haul and self-driving tours dominated, with flower viewing, parent-child study tours, hiking, camping, and folk experiences being the most popular. Weifang, Weihai, Dongying, and other cities launched themed routes and bird-watching events, boosting spending on tickets, dining, accommodation, local products, and creative cultural goods.

Red culture tourism integrated traditional tomb-sweeping activities with study tours. Revolutionary sites and memorial halls organized remembrance activities. Penglai Pavilion, Linyi's Red Sister's Hometown Tourism Area, and Liugong Island combined folk customs, digital performances, and hiking to engage young visitors.

To further stimulate the market, many cities offered discounts, free tickets, vouchers, and special packages for students and families, adding more fuel to the spring economy.

Editor：韩蒙蒙