Decoding Drivers Behind Rizhao's Summer 2025 Tourism Boom

During the summer of 2025, Rizhao's 19 key tourist attractions welcomed nearly 18.3 million visitors, generating RMB 309 million in revenue. Topics related to Rizhao on Douyin (TikTok) surpassed 2 billion views, and hotel and travel bookings grew 123% month-over-month. However, Rizhao has never focused merely on surface-level data like "visitor numbers," ; instead, the city emphasizes translating these figures into tangible results and measurable value.

From "Seeing Sea" to "Playing with Sea": Rizhao Model of Cultural and Tourism Integration

This summer, Rizhao reshapes its tourism offerings with a "boundary-breaking mindset," deeply integrating marine resources with music, events, intangible cultural heritage, and technology. This created a new tourism ecosystem catering to "all ages, all times, and all scenarios," turning a single stretch of sea into countless ways to explore and enjoy.

Rizhao hosted a series of events -- including the "Soda Music Chill Party," the "Sunrise Oriental" Wind Music Carnival & the 10th "Zhonghua Cup" National Woodwind Solo Exhibition, and the 2025 Rizhao City Basketball Super League -- using music and sports to turn interest into tourism. The city also activated intangible cultural heritage and film/TV IPs through filming-location tours and "Heritage Night Markets," blending tradition with modern aesthetics. New attractions like the "Xingdao Blue Carbon Project" and "Coffee & The Sea" further boosted appeal. Moving from "single viral hits" to a full "ecosystem matrix," visitors became active participants, shifting from one-time consumption to repeat experiences.

From "Management" to "Empathy": A City's "Guest-First" Philosophy

Tourism is ultimately about human encounters and the warmth of a city. This summer, Rizhao went beyond traditional "scenic spot services," transforming the entire city into a "borderless service zone."

The Rizhao City Urban Administration piloted "Rizhao Smart Parking" at coastal attractions, enabling visitors to reserve spaces, pay seamlessly, and navigate intelligently via a mini-program. The Public Security Bureau implemented a "tidal policing" model -- combining video surveillance, street patrols, and drones as "aerial sentinels" -- to dynamically monitor key areas and address risks early. Meanwhile, the Sunshine Coast Station of the Fire and Rescue Brigade maintained a "one-minute response, three-minute arrival, five-minute rescue" system, achieving zero tourism-related safety incidents all summer.

From "Arrival" to "Experience": A Multi-dimensional Network Supports "Quick Travel, Slow Stay"

The development of the cultural and tourism industry is inseparable from infrastructure support. The popularity of self-drive tours in Rizhao this summer is closely linked to the city's sustained efforts in recent years to build a "multi-dimensional transport + greenway network."

The establishment of a "3-hour high-speed rail circle" brought source markets closer, making weekend getaways and short trips the norm. The opening of Rizhao High-Speed Rail Station further accelerated tourism growth, while summer passenger throughput at Rizhao Airport reached 206,000 -- a 7% year-on-year increase -- expanding the city's reach via "air corridors." Rizhao also connected the Sunshine Coast Greenway with the Mountain-Sea Romance Greenway, forming a 61.8-kilometer ecological corridor that integrates mountains, sea, and city, blending natural scenery with urban vitality.

As the sea breeze cools and summer ends, Rizhao's cultural and tourism story continues to unfold.

Source: Rizhao Daily

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