2018 "Yellow River into the Sea" Tourist Direct Bus Launch and Shandong Circular Tourism Promotion Press Conference Held
—October Yellow River Journey, Take in the Breathtaking Scenery
To promote the voice of "Yellow River into the Sea" to the world, establish the "Yellow River into the Sea" cultural tourism destination brand, and showcase tourism resources, the press conference for the 2018 "Yellow River into the Sea" Tourist Direct Bus Launch and Shandong Circular Tourism Promotion was held on the afternoon of October 24 at the Lanhaitianhua Grand Hotel in Jinan. Attending the event were Yan Xiangjun, Director of the Market Development Division of the Shandong Provincial Tourism Development Commission; Yang Yanmeng, Deputy Director of the Shandong Provincial Tourism Promotion Center; Wang Yanhui, President of the Travel Agency Branch of the Shandong Tourism Industry Association; Ren Xiaoce, Deputy Director of the Jinan Municipal Tourism Development Commission; Song Jiajing, Director of the Dongying Municipal Tourism Development Commission; Liu Yebin, Standing Committee Member of Qihe County Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of the Yellow River International Eco-City; Jiang Shaohua, Standing Committee Member of Dong'e County Party Committee and Executive Deputy County Magistrate; Zhang Fan, General Manager of Tourism Big Data at Inspur Software Co., Ltd., among other leaders. Over 300 representatives from Jinan travel agencies, OTAs, clubs, as well as media reporters, attended the press conference.
Building a Cooperation Platform to Establish the "Yellow River into the Sea" Cultural Tourism Destination Brand
In his speech, Yan Xiangjun, Director of the Market Development Division of the Shandong Provincial Tourism Development Commission, stated that "Yellow River into the Sea" is one of the cultural tourism destinations vigorously developed by the Shandong Provincial Tourism Development Commission. Dongying is the iconic city of "Yellow River into the Sea." Dezhou’s Qihe County, known as the "Water Town of the Yellow River and Eco-Qihe," and Liaocheng’s Dong’e County, famed as the "Donkey-hide Gelatin City and Health Resort of Dong’e," are also key counties along the Shandong section of the Yellow River. By integrating the cultural tourism resources along the Yellow River in Shandong and incorporating elements such as ecological culture, land reclamation culture, military science culture, and folk culture, a cross-regional tourism brand centered around the stunning "Yellow River into the Sea, where river meets sea" landscape and natural ecology has been formed. The launch of the 2018 "Yellow River into the Sea" Tourist Direct Bus holds great significance for the future development of Dongying’s tourism industry and the marketing of the "Yellow River into the Sea" brand.
Ren Xiaoce, Deputy Director of the Jinan Municipal Tourism Development Commission, said in his speech that Jinan boasts profound and splendid culture and beautiful natural scenery. Nestled against Mount Tai to the south and bordering the Yellow River to the north, Jinan is not only an important source of tourists for Shandong tourism but also a city through which the Yellow River flows. Jinan will actively participate in the creation and promotion of the "Yellow River into the Sea" cultural tourism destination brand, and move toward a bright future under the leadership of the provincial tourism commission, better showcasing the "Hospitality Shandong" tourism image.
Song Jiajing, Director of the Dongying Municipal Tourism Development Commission, said in his speech that in recent years, the Dongying Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have seized the opportunity of the provincial government's strong push for high-quality all-for-one tourism development. With the overall requirements of comprehensive development, industry integration, and enhancement of all elements, the city has emphasized carrier construction, cross-sector integration, and service improvement. Key tourism indicators have ranked among the top in the province for several consecutive years. With strong support from the provincial tourism commission, Dongying has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Shandong Communications Travel Group, establishing a development philosophy of government promotion, market operation, complementary advantages, and win-win cooperation, marking a historic step forward in the development of Dongying’s tourism industry.
Highlighting Resource Characteristics to Promote New Developments in All-for-One Tourism
Dongying, Qihe County, and Dong’e County are all part of the "Yellow River into the Sea" cultural tourism destination brand, boasting rich tourism resources with their own unique features.
Dongying is the estuary city of the Yellow River, the mother river of the Chinese nation. It is a young and charming city with profound historical culture, uniquely rich tourism resources. Here, the Yellow River meets the sea, the military strategist Sun Wu was born, the Shengli Oilfield rose to prominence, and the Lü Opera originated. Dongying has established a blueprint for all-for-one tourism development based on seven major tourism landscapes, primarily featuring natural, historical, and cultural attractions. At the same time, to create a better tourism environment, the city has developed high-end homestays, specialty cuisine, and festive events to meet the diverse needs of tourists.
Qihe County is the only county in Dezhou along the Yellow River, with 62.5 kilometers of riverfront, and is known as the "Water Town of the Yellow River and Eco-Qihe." In recent years, Qihe has leveraged its unique location, transportation advantages, and ecological resources, prioritizing the tourism industry to build a distinctive all-for-one tourism destination. The county offers featured tour routes focusing on leisure experience, hot spring wellness vacations, natural ecological sightseeing, cultural themes, and rural experiences.
Dong’e County is located in the western part of Shandong Province, on the western bank of the Yellow River. It is the eastern gateway of Liaocheng, the renowned "Water City North of the Yangtze," and is celebrated as the "Home of Chinese Donkey-hide Gelatin," "Home of Chinese Yellow River Carp," "Home of Chinese Magpies," "Home of Chinese Acrobatics," and "Home of Chinese Oil Peony." It has been awarded titles such as "Shandong Strong Tourism County," "China’s Best Health and Wellness Resort County," and the Golden Peak Award for "Top Ten Most Popular Tourism Destinations." It is also among the second batch of national all-for-one tourism demonstration zone creation units. A long and rich history has nurtured Dong’e’s splendid cultural heritage, while its unique conditions have fostered pristine mountains and rivers. Based on local tourism resources, Dong’e has adopted the theme image of "Home of Donkey-hide Gelatin and Wellness Dong’e," forming an all-for-one tourism development pattern of "gelatin for health, Buddhist chants for the soul, and the Yellow River for emotion," making it a premier destination for wellness tourism.
In the future, Dongying, Qihe County, and Dong’e County will build on the "Yellow River into the Sea" cultural tourism destination brand, highlight local tourism resources, and establish a new all-for-one tourism model with complementary strengths and mutual support, jointly advancing the development of tourism in the three areas.
Exploring the "Tourism + Transportation" Model for Seamless Destination Connections
To deeply explore, organize, and integrate the tourism resources of Dongying, Qihe County, and Dong’e County, Shandong Communications Travel Group launched the "Yellow River into the Sea" brand tourist direct bus product and 25 new tourism route products themed around "culture," "family," "ecology," "study tours," "wellness," "self-drive," "hot springs," "shopping," and "industrial tourism" at the event. To facilitate tourism industry interaction between Jinan and Dongying, Qihe County, and Dong’e County, the tourism commissions of Dongying, Qihe County, and Dong’e County signed agreements on stage with Shandong Communications Travel Group, aiming to attract more tourists from Jinan to visit these destinations.
The launch of the "Yellow River into the Sea" Tourist Direct Bus fully leverages the advantages of the "Yellow River into the Sea" tourism resources. It not only meets the demands of market resource integration but also caters to the diverse travel needs of tourists, breaking down transportation barriers for independent travelers within the province and enabling high-quality travel experiences with direct point-to-point access to destinations.
Multidimensional Data Analysis to Support Upgraded Tourism Industry Marketing
"Yellow River into the Sea" is one of Shandong’s ten major cultural tourism destinations. It is a brand formed mainly along the Shandong section of the Yellow River, featuring cities as the main bodies and highlighted by Yellow River culture, ecological culture, military science culture, Cao Zhi culture, Buddhist chant culture, and folk culture. It serves as a representative Chinese and Qilu-style destination for sightseeing, leisure, vacation, and study tours. The "Yellow River into the Sea Tourism Destination Brand Market Research Report," compiled by Inspur Software Co., Ltd., was officially unveiled at the conference. The report provides a comprehensive analysis and detailed suggestions for the "Yellow River into the Sea" brand across four dimensions: tourism market analysis, resource strengths and weaknesses, current marketing status, and marketing recommendations, offering new insights for the marketing upgrade of the "Yellow River into the Sea" cultural tourism destination brand.
Through videos, PPT presentations, and the distribution of promotional materials, the event comprehensively showcased the high-quality tourism resources of the "Yellow River into the Sea" cultural tourism destination brand, introducing the profound cultural heritage, rare natural landscapes, and unique local customs of Dongying, Qihe, and Dong’e. Under the witness of attending guests, the marketing activities for the launch of the "Yellow River into the Sea" Tourist Direct Bus and the Shandong Circular Tourism Promotion Conference were officially initiated. Local performances and lucky draws were also arranged, bringing the press conference to a climax.