Jining has a number of famous cultural relic sites. The Confucian Mansion, Confucian Temple and the Cemetery of Confucian Family were chosen by UNESCO as a site of world cultural heritage in 1994.

Jining has constructed 5 tourism zones in different styles, including the Confucius and Mencius Culture Tourism Zone, centered on Qufu and Zoucheng; the Grand Canal Culture Tourism Zone, centered on the downtown areas; the Weishan Lake Scenic Tourism Zone, centered in Weishan Lake; the Shuihu Culture Tourism Zone, centered on Liangshan Marsh; the Buddhist Culture Tourism Zone, which takes Baoxiang Temple in Wenshang.

These 5 tourism zones comprise a tourism structure characterized by "east culture, west Wushu (martial arts), south water and north Buddhism". In 2006, Jining received nearly 15 million tourists from home and abroad, making it the leading tourist city in China.