China's marine tourism sector demonstrated remarkable performance in 2025. Numerous specialized coastal tourism routes in seaside regions remained highly popular, with tickets often selling out quickly. In Qingdao, Shandong Province, maritime tourism activities attracted 46.32 million visitor trips throughout 2025, establishing sea excursions as must-visit destinations that combined scenic beauty with recreational enjoyment.
What drives such strong appeal for local marine tourism? At Qingdao's Olympic Sailing Center pier, evening scenes regularly unfold where sunset hues paint the sea in soft orange-red tones, harmonizing with the urban skyline of Fushan Bay while white sailboats dot the waters. The "Orange Sea" route connects Qingdao landmarks including May Fourth Square and Lover's Dam, allowing tourists to appreciate the integration of mountain, sea, and cityscapes from unique maritime perspectives.
While the "Orange Sea" route gains popularity, the "Chasing Gulls and Waves" themed cruise ships also rank as top attractions. Fully loaded vessels gradually depart from piers as flocks of seagulls follow their wake—sometimes diving for food, sometimes soaring skyward—creating picturesque moments against the city backdrop.
To advance marine tourism development, Qingdao has deeply cultivated its ocean-themed intellectual property. During 2025, the city constructed or upgraded five tourism piers, accelerating the establishment of a three-dimensional tourism system spanning "coastal-marine-island-aerial" experiences. This comprehensive approach facilitated 46.32 million maritime tourist visits throughout the year.
Qin Dan, Deputy Director of Resource Development at Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, emphasized that the ocean represents Qingdao's most significant IP. The city will focus on developing international coastal tourism destinations by expanding sea excursions, island tours, cruise voyages, and low-altitude aviation experiences.
High popularity requires orderly management. The enchanting sunset views of "Orange Sea" and dynamic scenes of "Chasing Gulls and Waves" not only dominated social media feeds but also brought over 4.6 million tourists to Qingdao's coastline. Local authorities implemented smart governance to transform previous fragmented operations into coordinated management, ensuring standardized services and fair pricing for worry-free visitor experiences.
At Dongdayang Pier, "Sea Crossing Bridge" route vessels depart at full capacity. This itinerary connects the Jiaozhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge with Qingdao Science Museum, blending three highlights: oceanic bridge views, ecological seagull watching, and spectacular sunsets. Since its launch, the route has maintained strong popularity due to unique perspective experiences and regulated operations.
Just years earlier, Qingdao's marine tourism presented a different picture. Independent operators engaged in roadside solicitation, price undercutting, and reduced voyage durations. Smaller operators lacking channels and brand recognition struggled to attract customers during peak seasons while vessels remained idle during off-seasons, creating a vicious cycle.
Confronting industry challenges, Qingdao Tourism Group led the consolidation of 63 private operators into China's largest maritime tourism joint operation entity. The innovative "Five Unifications" management approach included centralized pier administration, route planning, ticket sales, financial settlement, and operational scheduling. This government-coordinated, state-owned-enterprise-facilitated, and private-sector-participating model unified previously fragmented marine tourism resources.
The joint operation model not only enhanced operator benefits but also reshaped market ecology. In 2025, participating operators saw passenger volume increase 49.69% year-over-year while tourist complaints decreased 92.6%.
Scenic ocean views attract massive visitor flows. Local efforts now focus on transforming this popularity into sustainable industrial momentum—ensuring tourists not only have attractions to visit but also reasons to extend their stays.
Visitors to Qingdao can depart from any core pier to access different sea areas conveniently, enabling "all-sea-area, all-time-period" tourism experiences. Previously disjointed pier operations have been unified through resource integration, connecting seven piers across Qianhai, Houhai, and West Coast areas into an interconnected network. This integrated marine transportation infrastructure supports comprehensive regional coordination for full-coverage tourism products.
Transitioning from "sea-viewing excursions" to "marine lifestyle experiences," simple route connections no longer satisfy diverse tourist demands. Qingdao now explores infinite possibilities through "ocean+" expansions: "cruise+education" transforms the sea into mobile classrooms, "cruise+cuisine" turns seascapes into dining accompaniments, and "cruise+music" lets waves provide rhythmic accompaniment. These emerging business models continuously evolve, deepening tourist experiences from passive sea viewing to immersive oceanic engagement.