Qingdao leverages concerts to boost tourism

(ECNS) -- Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong province, is leveraging concert-driven tourism to boost summer cultural tourism consumption, as the country's performance market continues to heat up. 

Singer Chou Chuan-hsiung performs in Qingdao on July 11, 2026. (Photo: China News Service)

Data from Ctrip showed concert tours this summer drove nearly 60% year on year growth in tourism bookings in host cities.

The China Association of Performing Arts said every 1 yuan in direct performance revenue generates nearly 7 yuan in additional consumption.

Six concerts in Qingdao next week are expected to attract more than 160,000 attendees. The city has also launched a “ticket economy 3.0” initiative, offering discounts from over 800 merchants to concertgoers.

(By Helen Mo, intern Li Chengzhan)