Tai'an enhances 'Taishan Mountain' strategy to shape new cultural tourism models

In recent years, Tai'an city in Shandong province has focused on cultivating the "Taishan Mountain+" cultural tourism brand. The city has implemented a development strategy aimed at promoting transformation and upgrading to develop the city's tourism to a higher-level.

Preliminary statistics for 2024 reveal that Tai'an city welcomed 94.29 million domestic tourists, generating tourism revenue of 90.27 billion yuan ($12.46 billion), marking increases of 12.3 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively. The number of visitors to Taishan Mountain surpassed 8 million for two consecutive years.

By February 28, Taishan Mountain had already hosted 800,000 visitors in the current year, indicating a 35 percent year-on-year increase. Leveraging the success of cultural and tourism integration, Tai'an was distinguished as China's most charming cultural tourism city in 2024, recognized as a model city for the high-quality development of cultural and tourism integration in the country.

Taishan Mountain serves as Tai'an's flagship attraction. Through the "Taishan Mountain+" initiative, Tai'an continues to excel by fostering innovative collaborations, cultivating new cultural and tourism formats, models, and experiences, unlocking fresh energy in the deep integration of culture and tourism. This encourages longer visitor stays and propels a resurgence in entrepreneurship within the cultural and tourism sector, according to the city government. 

Following the Spring Festival this year, Taishan Mountain Scenic Area in Tai'an introduced climbing assistive robots, specifically robotic exoskeleton devices, which garnered significant attention. This intelligent climbing equipment not only makes it easier to hike but also drives the transformation and enhancement of the scenic area's service model, ushering in novel forms of cultural tourism consumption.

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, the fusion of AI and cultural tourism has emerged as a new trend. Today, in Tai'an, technology empowers the cultural tourism industry, offering visitors more captivating and innovative consumption experiences. Immersive intelligence stands out as a key highlight among these advancements. The ancient Taishan Mountain, having witnessed the passage of time, now experiences a rejuvenation through technological innovations.