The 2025 Shandong International Friendship Cities Cooperation and Exchange Week is scheduled to take place from May 26 to 30 in Shandong Province, with the main venue in Jinan, the provincial capital.
An opening ceremony is set for May 27, according to China Daily.
A total of 900 representatives, including 154 delegations from friendship cities, local governments, enterprises, and business communities across 47 countries, have registered to participate, with around 600 coming from abroad.
International friendship cities play a vital role as channels for sub-national exchanges and serve as important platforms for cultural and tourism cooperation.
Jiang Qingpeng, deputy director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shandong Province, highlighted at a recent press conference that these city partnerships have become key drivers of international cultural communication and inbound tourism growth in the region.
In the first quarter of this year, visitors from countries hosting Shandong's friendship cities accounted for 77.3% of all inbound tourists, reflecting a 91.1% year-on-year increase, Jiang noted.
Looking ahead, Shandong plans to organize more exchange activities centered around major events such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s tourism and cultural capital, Kazakhstan Tourism Year in China, and China-Russia Year of Culture.
These initiatives aim to strengthen inbound tourism, deepen cultural exchanges, and expand Shandong’s international network in culture and tourism sectors.