[Objectives] To analyze and study the characteristics of rural labor flow to the tourism industry in Taian City of Shandong Province, and propose some measures for solving the problems of labor support in the development of rural tourism in Taian City. [Methods] The indicators were analyzed using the time series based on the relevant data on the labor employment and flow of rural households in Taian City in 2005-2013. [Results] In Taian City, the number of rural laborers engaged in the primary industry decreased at the rate of 96 people/year, while the number of laborers engaged in the secondary and tertiary industries increased at the rate of 29 people/year and 3 people/year, respectively. The proportion of the three traditional tourism elements of transportation, lodging and catering in the tourism industry has been fluctuating, and the minimum was not lower than 30%. The recreational category was decreasing year by year, and only accounted for 1.7% in 2010. In summary, in the development of rural tourism in Taian City, the labor flow has problems such as low rural social security, weak attraction to young people, and large psychological barriers to returning to the hometown for employment. [Conclusions] In view of the problems, it is recommended to implement the rural revitalization strategy, attach importance to regional labor competition, give full play to the advantages of tourist cities, highlight product characteristics, increase cultural added value and improve the quality of operators to develop rural tourism. This study is intended to provide a scientific reference for talent support for rural revitalization in Taian City.