Since the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and administrative organizations at all levels were only established across China in 2018，the industry is still in the process of exploring distinctions and possibilities for collaboration between cultural tourism and general tourism. It is thus necessary to put forward a theoretical exploration and specific analysis from a macro perspective. This paper first defines the category of cultural tourism，a definition which may be further used as a criterion for related administrations and industries to study，plan，implement，and adopt to gather statistics in the future. Through an objective examination of both positive and negative aspects，the author analyzes the present situation of cultural tourism development from a broader perspective，trying to identify urgent problems as well as current opportunities and challenges. The paper concludes by offering potential directions forward while providing the best possible countermeasures for reference.