The 18th Qingdao 88 Shopping Carnival officially opened on the evening of August 7 at the Qingdao International Conference Center. Under the theme of “Shop Qingdao, Enjoy Consumption,” the event leverages Qingdao’s advantages as one of the country’s national-level consumption pilot cities, focusing on improving the inbound consumption environment and making Qingdao the first stop for South Korean tourists’ shopping and consumption experiences in China, while further deepening two-way cooperation between China and the Republic of Korea in culture, tourism and trade.
The event was guided by the Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce and hosted by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce. Representatives from multiple organizations, including the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Qingdao, attended the event and engaged in discussions. Leveraging Qingdao’s geographical advantages, all parties will continue to enhance supporting services for inbound consumption, attract more South Korean tourists to visit and shop in Qingdao, and promote deeper integration between China–ROK cultural tourism and commercial cooperation.
To better meet the travel and consumption needs of international visitors, especially South Korean tourists, Qingdao has introduced a series of targeted service initiatives. The city has released the Korean-language “Explore, Eat and Shop in Qingdao Guide,” featuring seven customized travel routes covering seaside dining experiences, beer culture and wellness vacations. The guide brings together more than 500 local businesses and nearly 700 exclusive offers, providing inbound visitors with convenient one-stop consumption services. Meanwhile, more than 100 consumption promotion activities will be launched across the city, further upgrading the shopping and travel experience for both domestic and international visitors.
A number of supporting measures were also announced at the event. In the second half of the year, Qingdao will host 370 major exhibitions, festivals and events, injecting new momentum into the integrated development model of “events and exhibitions + consumption.” Local financial institutions will provide exclusive subsidies, credit support and digital financial services to further stimulate cultural tourism consumption. In addition, 13 leading enterprises and industry associations jointly issued an initiative on international consumer trust and service standards, aiming to create a high-quality consumer environment for international visitors in line with global standards.
Meanwhile, the “Qingdao Gifts” themed market will be held from August 7 to 9, featuring a diverse range of offerings including time-honored local brands, cross-border products, trendy cultural and creative products, and specialty cuisine. Qingdao’s incentive-based invoice promotion campaign has already benefited tens of millions of consumers and helped stimulate a consumer market worth hundreds of billions of yuan.
Looking ahead, Qingdao will continue to enrich international consumption scenarios, foster new consumption drivers and accelerate its development into an international consumption center city.
Editor: Ding Qianqian/ Wang Yulin
