The summer nights at the "Fan Da Wan" camping barbecue city in Zoucheng, Jining, Shandong, are ablaze with lights. Tents are scattered across the area, with groups of diners gathered around them, as the aroma of food grilling over charcoal fills the air. This is no longer a traditional barbecue restaurant, but a new leisure scene that deeply integrates "urban camping" with dining consumption.
"Customers no longer come just to eat their fill or eat well; they also seek a leisure atmosphere and a consumption experience," said Fan Zhaomin, the person in charge of the barbecue city. While strictly controlling dishes and prices, the venue has targeted the new track of leisure experiences, creating special features like canopy dining areas and moon staircases, and integrating functions such as camping, family entertainment, and social leisure. Since opening in April this year, the venue has seen sustained popularity, often fully booked on weekends and holidays, effectively boosting nighttime dining consumption.
Today, new business models centered on experiences are rapidly developing in Zoucheng, permeating sectors such as dining, culture and tourism, and outdoor sports, becoming a significant force in driving consumption growth.
During the "May Day" holiday this year, Zoucheng hosted two large-scale concerts, attracting nearly 50,000 tourists from within and outside the province. To transform this influx into lasting engagement and turn casual visitors into regulars, the local area introduced an exclusive "Hospitality Plan." Visitors can use their concert tickets to enjoy discounts on admission to core scenic spots, as well as special offers at partner hotels, restaurants, and retail merchants, achieving "one ticket for all, seamless travel across the region."
Zhang Xia, Director of the Zoucheng Culture and Tourism Bureau, explained that the integrated model of "concert-viewing + tourism" has connected the entire consumption chain of dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment. Data shows that during the concert period, visits to the Yishan Scenic Area and the Meng Temple and Meng Mansion scenic area in Zoucheng increased by 60.45% and 39.05% year-on-year, respectively. Dining revenue in the city's core commercial districts increased by 42.9% year-on-year, driving secondary consumption across the region to exceed 100 million yuan.
"Experience-based consumption not only requires the novelty of the scene and the explosive power of traffic but also needs to focus on improving quality and efficiency to revitalize traditional resources," Zhang Xia said.
Shangjiu Mountain Village, located in Shiqiang Town, is an ancient village with a history of over a thousand years, featuring orderly stone houses, stone walls, stone alleys, and stone mills. Despite its profound historical and cultural heritage, it was difficult to translate this into consumption appeal in the past. Visitors often rushed through, spending little time and showing low willingness to spend.
This year, the Shangjiu Mountain Village scenic area launched a "Earn Copper Coins" experience project. Tourists can earn "copper coins" by participating in traditional folk games such as arrow throwing and cuju (ancient Chinese football), which can then be used for dining, cultural and creative handicrafts, and intangible cultural heritage experiences within the scenic area.
"Immersive play encourages active participation from tourists, extending their visit time from two hours to half a day or more, and increasing per capita spending in the scenic area by nearly 40%," said Ni Mengqi, the person in charge of the Shangjiu Mountain Village scenic area. Participatory and interactive new cultural and tourism scenes have effectively extended the consumption chain, transforming traditional cultural resources into consumption advantages.
Targeting the diverse consumption needs of different groups and creating personalized and distinctive projects has opened up greater development space for the experience economy.
At the Ford Crossroads Outdoor Theme Park in Chengqian Town, vehicles speed along the winding jungle off-road track, with the roar of tires and the cheers of visitors echoing through the mountains and forests.
Professional track configurations and comprehensive supporting amenities have made this a "check-in spot" for outdoor sports enthusiasts. In addition to the jungle off-road track, the park also features activities like paddleboarding and rock climbing, creating a well-rounded outdoor leisure consumption matrix. "You can race off-road during the day and camp under the stars at night, satisfying all outdoor play needs in one stop," said Mr. Sun, an off-road enthusiast from Shanghai who came specifically for the experience.
The effective implementation of new business models has driven the continuous release of comprehensive benefits. Liu Yinwei, the person in charge of the Ford Crossroads Outdoor Theme Park, noted that since its opening in November 2024, the park has received over 80,000 visitors, generating 16 million yuan in internal consumption and spurring the development of more than 20 farmhouse restaurants in surrounding villages. This has promoted a win-win situation involving ecological resource protection and utilization, cultural and tourism consumption upgrades, and increased income for the local population.
From innovations in urban dining scenes to the full-chain integration of performance-based economies, from the immersive upgrade of ancient village tourism to the continuous introduction of new mountain and wilderness outdoor activities, consumption in Zoucheng is gradually becoming a comprehensive experience that is participatory, shareable, and memorable. These immersive and differentiated scenes transform emotional resonance into consumption willingness, injecting more momentum into improving consumption formats and expanding consumption capacity.
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