Driven by the dual forces of promoting urban consumption and the deep integration of “culture + tourism,” higher art education is shifting from a “campus-based cycle” to a “large-scale urban cycle.” This article, using the “Tianmei Art District,” co-developed by the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and Tianjin’s Hebei District, as a case study, reviews the development and current status of higher art education both domestically and internationally. It also examines the integration of university art resources with cultural tourism, and outlines a four-tiered empowerment pathway: “education-creationindustry- consumption.” This approach offers a replicable and scalable model for leveraging art education to stimulate cultural tourism consumption across the country.