Flashy ride: A Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd Panda Mini electric vehicle at the Shanghai Auto Show in Shanghai. The event is expected to attract many international players in the automotive scene. — Bloomberg
CHINESE tourists are coming back with a vengeance, having made 1.22 billion domestic tourist trips in the first quarter of this year. In response, the country’s tourism sector is actively developing new technologies and products to heat up the market.
The just-concluded China (Wuhan) Culture and Tourism Expo, which attracted 2,000 exhibitors from home and abroad, has offered a glimpse into the shift towards high-quality development.
A variety of new technologies have been stealing the spotlight at the expo, from VR tours, robot guides to intelligent wearables, that are vying for a place in Chinese museums and scenic spots.
Meet “Crinoid,” a humanoid robot playing dulcimer at the expo. It is designed to read music scores, compose music and stage musical performances.
“We are discussing collaborations with several tourist sites, where our robots can be deployed to entertain the tourists,” said Zhou Li, head of Crinoid’s development team at the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan).
“People are really interested in this new type of performance. What’s more, the robot can perform for longer hours at a lower cost,” said Zhou.
Industry observers have pointed to the increasing use of new technologies in the tourist sector to not only raise management efficiency but also cater to the rising demand for unconventional travel experiences.
“Technologies such as 5G, big data and cloud computing have been widely used in the tourism sector in recent years to develop new tourist products and business models,” said Fu Caiwu, head of the National Institute of Cultural Development in Wuhan University.
“For instance, many tourist sites are now harnessing mobile internet and livestreaming to attract visitors. This has become a new promotion strategy,” said Fu.
Other tourist attractions are embracing burgeoning new forms of tourism, such as camping and nighttime travel, to appeal to the wealthier and younger holidaymakers.
Prior to the expo, over 200 tents were set up along the East Lake of Wuhan, where exhibitors showcased motorhomes and camping equipment to the visitors.
On Shuangfeng Mountain in Hubei Province, a campsite with over 100 motorhomes is crowded with barbecuers seeking a respite from the urban hustle and bustle.
Hu Xiaojun, manager of the campsite, said all the motorhomes had been booked up 20 days ahead of the upcoming May Day holiday.
Though new to Chinese holidaymakers, camping has seen explosive growth in China. Data from research firm iiMedia Research shows that the core market size of China’s camping economy reached 113.47 billion yuan (RM72.96bil) in 2022, up from 74.75 billion yuan (RM48.06bil) in 2021.
Dai Bin, president of China Tourism Academy, said leisure tourism is now welcomed by a greater number of Chinese people as China enters into a moderately prosperous society.
China saw nearly 1.22 billion domestic tourist trips in the first quarter of 2023, up 46.5% year on year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. — Xinhua
