The annual Qingdao International Beer Festival is in full swing in Qingdao. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

During the summer vacation, the coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province experienced an increase in visitors. The number of scenic spot ticket orders in the city increased by 67 percent year-on-year, according to a travel forecast report by Ctrip, an online travel service provider.

On July 19, the annual Qingdao International Beer Festival began, boosting the popularity of Qingdao's cultural and tourism market to new heights. The beer festival's sub-venues are providing a variety of cultural and tourism activities to meet the diverse needs of different groups of people, allowing visitors to experience the charm of China's beer capital.

In addition to the well-known traditional attractions and the deeply-rooted beer festival, Qingdao has recently focused on the development of cultural and tourism products in recent years. In addition to the existing summer parent-child tours, graduation trips, and summer vacation routes, Qingdao has expanded and developed a variety of personalized product including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization cultural tours, themed night tours, film and television sightseeing tours, and performing arts tours.

The thriving concert economy has emerged as a new source of economic growth for Qingdao. In June, Qingdao hosted six concerts, attracting approximately 130,000 fans, breaking the monthly concert attendance record in both Qingdao and the Shandong market.

Taking advantage of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy, Qingdao is actively optimizing the customs clearance process for transit visa-free passengers. The city is also implementing a pre-approval model to streamline procedures, making it easier for foreign tourists to visit Qingdao.

According to statistics, in the first half of the year, the number of foreign tourists entering Qingdao Airport reached 176,000, representing a 232 percent year-on-year increase with a notable increase in visitors from visa-free countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, and France.