Xinhua: Epidemic Spurs Development of Digital Tourism

Yu Xiaoran, a 29-year-old white-collar worker in Beijing, put on a skincare face mask mailed directly from the Republic of Korea and gently took a sip of blended whisky made entirely in Japan, while unwinding.

She then opened Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to watch a Sri Lankan diplomat share stories about local gems on the country's official account, which has raked in over 75,000 followers since its launch last week.

"Though the COVID-19 pandemic delayed all my travel plans, thanks to the growth of digital tourism, I can travel around the world virtually without leaving home," Yu said.

"Digitalization of tourism allows companies to harness the power of digital technology and improve supply-side innovations to meet consumer demands," said Zhuang Zhuoran, president of Alibaba's travel arm Fliggy, at a tourism conference held during the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing.

Zhuang noted that many overseas tourist cities and popular destinations as well as dozens of tourism departments are using Fliggy to promote online tours, which include the Louvre, the British Museum, the Prado Museum and the Colosseum.

"Popular events such as Venice Carnival and Thailand's Songkran Festival have also launched livestream shows on Fliggy, enabling local streamers to interact with Chinese tourists and prepare for the full resumption of international travel," Zhuang said.

The global travel spending totaled 1.9 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, up 300 billion U.S. dollars from 2020, but it's only half of the pre-pandemic level, according to the World Tourism Cities Development Report released by Du Yili, former deputy director of China National Tourism Administration.

Despite the recurring ups and downs of the COVID-19 situation, which continue to impede the recovery of the global tourism industry, the pandemic has stimulated and promoted the application of information technology, Du said, noting that digital tourism is developing at an accelerated pace.

"The number of tourism apps, the proportion of online reservations for scenic spots, and the coverage of electronic signatures have all risen significantly," she added.

In April, when peach blossoms were in full bloom in Beijing's Pinggu District, a 168-hour livestreaming show on Fliggy attracted more than 4 million viewers. Besides watching flowers online, people can book travel itineraries and buy special agricultural products such as peaches and pears on Fliggy and the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao.

"Digital platforms can help integrate industrial resources and promote sustainable development of tourism," Zhuang Zhuoran said.

Mayor of Beijing Chen Jining said new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and 5G plus AR/VR have been deeply integrated with tourism, expanding the boundaries of urban tourism and becoming an important driving force for tourism development.

"A modern tourism system with smart tourism as its core is taking shape rapidly," Chen said.