The Lingzhushan sub-district office in the national economic and technological development-zone of Qingdao has been recently approved as one of "model tourist villages and towns". The results were released by the Shandong Provincial Tourism Bureau earlier this month.

According to the latest report, nearly 600,000 tourists have visited the scenic areas with the tourism revenue reaching more than 18 million yuan ($2.8 million) by the end of 2011.

The tourism prosperity in this sub-district has promoted the related industries in the area. This includes agricultural product sales and the catering industry, both of which help increase the local resident's incomes and improve their life quality.

During recent years, the Lingshushan sub-district has been building their tourism brand by promoting their beautiful landscapes, characteristic culture and clean environment.

Zhushan National Forest Park, Qingdao Forest Wildlife World and Lingzhushan Bodhi Tempel are among the top tourism attractions in China.

The world's longest cross-sea bridge, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, opened last July and provides better transportation services to attract tourists.

By Hu Qing (chinadaily.com.cn)

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Rakhee