Cui Dezhi, director and secretary of the Party leadership of the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Tourism, put forward a suggestion of constructing Qingdao into an international tourist destination at a group meeting of the 12th Party congress of Qingdao on March 31.

"Tourism in Qingdao has transitioned from traditional sightseeing to vocational travel in recent years, with distribution of newly-developed leisure areas and resorts extending from the coastal areas to the whole city. Qingdao's tourism industry has entered a multi-oriented stage of development," Cui said.

According to Cui, the next step is to increase Qingdao's competitiveness as an international tourism destination.

Cui proposed that the city should focus on developing its coastal tourist resorts. An integrated tourism system should be developed through various initiatives including diversifying product structure, introducing high-end projects and perfecting facilities.

According to Cui, village traveling is a major part of the city's modern tourism. Government should enhance its planning and development to improve quality and comprehensive value in order to have a long-term positive effect.

Cui Dezhi, director of the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Tourism. [Photo/dzwww.com]