China’s First Digital Cultural Tourism Experience Lab Opens in Hunan

　　Zhonghuilv Smart Scenic Area Management Co., Ltd., Central South University, Anhui Polytechnic University, and China Quality Certification Center sign a strategic agreement to build a digital cultural tourism experience lab. (Photo/Tang Xiaoqing)

　　The unveiling ceremony of the Zhonghuilv Digital Cultural Tourism Experience Lab is held. (Photo/Tang Xiaoqing)

　　The Zhonghuilv Digital Cultural Tourism Experience Lab was established in Changsha on July 17.

　　The lab is the first digital cultural tourism experience lab in China. It is initiated by the Zhonghuilv Smart Scenic Area Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Zhonghuilv”), the College of Experience Industry of Anhui Polytechnic University, UK-based Holovis, Hong Kong PK Properties, and relevant financing institutions and experts. It is a digital experience lab based on artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, mobile internet, 5G technology, and multi-sensory experience.

　　Zhonghuilv President Xiao Peiyu said that the lab is composed of five parts: digital cultural tourism experience products; related support system; digital display platform and mid-background control system; content support system; and, intellectual support platform. It is committed to making cutting-edge exploration in sci-tech and cultural tourism integration, developing and promoting related experience products, and providing support for the transformation and upgrading of cultural tourism enterprises. It is expected to be a national key laboratory in three years.

　　Holovis is an experiential design company specializing in the creation of immersive &mixed reality.

　　Holovis CEO Stuart Hetherington said technologies based on 5G, artificial intelligence, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and big data are gradually leading the rapid development of the experience industry. Stuart hoped that classic tourist products featuring China’s profile and culture will be developed.

　　“The application of digital technology brings a scenario-based revolution with the ultimate experience. Experience-oriented design, production, marketing, and service will be breakthroughs for the integration of culture and tourism,” said Chen Xianchun, director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Chen added that the lab should actively adapt to the needs of economic globalization and the opening up of tourism, continuously introduce new concepts, technologies, business types, products, and modes to innovate cultural tourism integration and explore experiential tourism, and tourism management in developing countries. The lab should promote university-enterprise cooperation, and cultivate versatile, innovative, extravert and applied talents.

　　“The demands of tourists, especially the post-90s or post-00s generation, become more diverse and experience-oriented, which drives the supply-side structural reform and innovation in tourism,” said Xue Baohong, executive dean of the College of Experience Industry of Anhui Polytechnic University. Xue added that the lab will change people’s traditional ways of viewing mountains, waters, and landscape by means of technologies, and artificial intelligence will be adopted to address challenges facing China and worldwide scenic spots in the process of sci-tech-based tourism industrialization.