Economic Watch: Innovations in marine travel refresh China's summer tourism boom

JINAN, July 31 (Xinhua) -- At 9 a.m., a passenger ferry departs on schedule from a wharf in east China and arrives minutes later at a giant flower-shaped offshore structure over the sea.

The complex combines marine ranching with tourism under an innovative "blue granary" model, offering visitors an immersive experience including fish viewing, ecology sessions and VR movies.

Named Genghai No. 1, the integrated facility beyond the Fisherman's Wharf in the city of Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, was built with a total investment of 420 million yuan (about 61.9 million U.S. dollars).

Wang, a visitor from Jinan, capital of Shandong, joined the "Little Ocean Steward" program with her daughter. The child fed fish in offshore cages, observed the harvesting process and learned about marine ecology through guided demonstrations.

"Taking my daughter to the seaside used to mean playing on the beach," Wang said. "Now she can learn about the ocean while seeing firsthand how technology is transforming modern aquaculture."

China boasts abundant marine resources with 18,000 kilometers of mainland coastline and another 14,000 kilometers of island coastline, according to official data.

During the peak summer travel season, coastal destinations across the country are rolling out diverse marine tourism experiences, underscoring the growing vitality of China's marine economy.

According to the operator of Genghai No. 1, the complex has grown into an offshore resort integrating modern aquaculture, marine tourism, scientific research, public education, dining and accommodation.

Equipped with a "5G+ marine ranch" smart management system, it produces 150,000 kilograms of premium seawater fish annually and welcomes more than 150,000 visitor trips each year.

Similar tourism-driven growth is surging in many places along China's coastline.

In Zhelin Bay of Raoping County, south China's Guangdong Province, the Xi'ao fishery-tourism platform, covering more than 3,000 square meters, features specialty restaurants, a seafront cafe, starry-sky cabins and boutique seaview guestrooms.

At the ocean pastoral fishery tourism park on Nanji Island in east China's Zhejiang Province, visitors stroll along suspended floating walkways above the sea and enjoy recreational fishing.

In Haitang Bay of Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, night fishing has emerged as a new coastal scenario combining sightseeing, cuisine and social interaction. The local "night fishing plus dining" projects have lifted the nighttime departure rate of recreational fishing yachts from less than 30 percent to more than 95 percent.

The diversification of marine tourism has extended leisure activities well into the evening, and driven a rise in demand for related industries, including water sports equipment.

At Hetong (Weihai) Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. in the city of Weihai in Shandong, production lines are operating at full capacity as workers rush to complete a batch of inflatable paddleboards destined for overseas markets.

"The popularity of water sports tourism has fueled strong order growth," said Wang Yongfeng, the company's general manager. "Our shipments exceeded 90,000 paddleboard sets in the first half of the year, up 150 percent year on year."

Liu Zhiqing, deputy general manager of Weihai Heliyuan Carbon Fiber Technology Co., Ltd., said the company's production capacity in 2026 has expanded three to four times compared with previous years, with water sports equipment now accounting for 55 to 60 percent of its total carbon fiber sales.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, China's gross ocean product exceeded 11 trillion yuan in 2025, up 5.5 percent year on year and accounting for 7.9 percent of the country's GDP.

Against this backdrop, China is cultivating the marine economy, including marine tourism, as a new growth engine.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said the ocean is a foundational resource and an emerging market for the modern tourism industry, as well as a new strategic space for China's efforts to build itself into a world-leading tourism destination.

He called for stronger market connectivity, industrial cooperation and policy coordination to build a coordinated marine tourism landscape featuring closer land-sea integration and differentiated regional development. ■