The fourth Shandong Culture and Tourism Consumption Season, which was originally scheduled to be held in July, will open this month instead in order to boost the culture and tourism sectors, which have been hit hard by the outbreak.

The Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism held a news conference on April 13 to provide details about the event.

Officials from the department said that the event will begin in mid or late April and will distribute consumption coupons worth about 138 million yuan ($19.58 million) across the province to benefit more customers.

Local officials said that the event will take full advantage of the role of cultural and tourism consumption in leading industrial transformation and upgrading.

The coupons can be used to buy a wide range of products and services, including art and cultural performances, scenic spot tickets, cultural and creative products and special tourist routes.

To date, more than 700 scenic spots, over 600 culture enterprises, over 700 tourism enterprises and over 30 e-commerce platforms have joined the event, and over 2,000 activities related to tourism, culture, entertainment and more will be launched.

Museums, art galleries, and libraries throughout the province will launch activities both online and offline to attract more visitors, and the province's 16 cities will also launch a series of cultural and tourism activities.

In addition, in order to boost rural revitalization, this year the event will offer special coupons for 58 cultural and tourism enterprises and products from poverty-stricken areas. Special e-commerce stores will also be set up to help them expand their market and spread brand awareness.