The increasingly popular cultural and tourism industries are vital components in optimizing economic structures and expanding service consumption. This was a running theme at a conference promoting the integration of these industries, which began on Thursday in Qingdao, Shandong province. Experts and scholars shared their views on current trends.

Wang Xiaofeng, head of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, highlighted the significance of integrating intangible cultural heritage with tourism development.

"The key lies in how intangible cultural heritage items gain visibility in tourism areas," said Wang.

Qingdao's Laoshan district, where the conference was held, has been working to establish a national demonstration area for the integration of cultural and tourism industries.

According to the local bureau of culture and tourism, the district's combined scale of the cultural and tourism industries reached 11.7 billion yuan ($1.61 billion) last year.