Jinan plans to continue to develop its cultural and tourism sector, aiming to become an influential city, said Yu Haitian, mayor of Jinan.

Recently, Jinan, a historical and cultural city that has always been low-profile, started to cut a fine figure as one of its scenic spots, Chaoran Pavilion on the shores of Daming Lake, went viral.

According to Yu, during the Spring Festival holiday, Jinan experienced a strong rebound of consumption in its cultural and tourism sector, which was due to the improvement of the city's soft power, advanced market and scientific planning, including offering free entry to a number of scenic spots.

Yu Haitian, mayor of Jinan. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 2023, Jinan aims to increase its annual total tourism revenue by over 10 percent, improve the added value of cultural industries accounting for over 3.5 percent of the total GDP, and increase the revenue of cultural companies above designated sizes by over 10 percent, Yu said.

In order to achieve the goals, Jinan plans to seek breakthroughs in five major aspects, namely, industrial development, brand building, public services, cultural inheritance, and fine works of art, Yu added.

For example, Jinan will accelerate promotion of key cultural and tourism projects worth 133 billion yuan ($19.29 billion), build its cultural venues, and strive to become a demonstration zone for integrated development of national cultural and tourism industries.

Jinan will also create a slew of online influential projects featuring new venues and spaces of cultural tourism, such as cultural events featuring ancient celebrities like Li Qingzhao (1084-1155) and Xin Qiji (1140-1207), both of whom were representative figures of a typical Jinan culture.

A bird's-eye view of Huashan Mountain area in Jinan. [Photo/ijinan app]