【 Expert Introduction 】

Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Research Institute and Director of the Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has led several major national science and technology, social science, and key projects, and has been involved in the research and drafting of national tourism development plans, policies, laws, and regulations since 2008.

The cultural tourism industry is becoming a powerful engine for promoting high-quality regional economic development. Hubei has listed "cultural innovation" as one of the seven core strategies for "pivot construction", focusing on the three major goals of "building a strong cultural province, constructing a world-renowned cultural tourism destination, and cultivating the cultural tourism industry as a pillar industry". How can cultural innovation empower the construction of Hubei's pivot? What are the distinctive advantages and directions of Hubei's efforts to build a world-class cultural and tourism destination? Changjiang Cloud News interviewed Dai Bin, President of China Tourism Research Institute. Integration of culture and tourism, Hubei has formed three leading advantages

Reporter: How do you view the role of cultural innovation in promoting pivot construction? How can the effectiveness of integrated cultural and tourism development be evaluated for a place? What are the highlights of Hubei?

Dai Bin: Culture is playing an increasingly important role in promoting the economic and social development of a place, and it is also playing a more prominent role. We are delighted to see that Hubei has achieved practical results in the creative transformation of traditional culture, the release of red resource value, and the empowerment of advanced cultural industries through planning guidance, forming a "Hubei sample" of culture driven development.

The integration of culture and tourism is a systematic project that requires evaluation from multiple dimensions.

Firstly, theoretical guidance is crucial. We must study Xi Jinping's cultural ideology seriously, especially General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourse on the integration of culture and tourism, and firmly grasp the development direction of coordinating social and economic benefits.

Secondly, the integration of culture and tourism requires a broader perspective. Integrate excellent traditional culture, red culture, advanced socialist culture with contemporary people's lifestyles, and deeply integrate culture and tourism.

Thirdly, we need to cultivate a group of market entities and projects that integrate culture and tourism, so that tourists can have practical and beautiful experiences. For example, the "Yellow Crane Tower at Night" project in Wuhan is a good example. To create a group of cities, neighborhoods, villages, and classic routes that integrate culture and tourism, allowing tourists to appreciate the beauty of nature, comprehend the beauty of culture, and cultivate the beauty of the soul during their travels.

Hubei has formed three leading advantages in the integration of culture and tourism.

One is that scene fusion is at the forefront. Wuhan pioneered the "Yangtze River Cruise" model, transforming "Zhiyin Hao" and "Yangtze River Legend" into cultural living rooms, achieving a perfect integration of ecology, history, and contemporary life.

The second is the accelerated demonstration effect. The explosive popularity of Xiaogan Yunmeng Bamboo Slips Museum not only drives venue traffic, but also activates surrounding rural tourism and consumption, confirming the path of "cultural landmarks leveraging the revitalization of the entire region".

The third is the deep cohesion of social consensus. The concept of "everyone is an ambassador and the environment is everywhere" is deeply rooted in people's hearts, from governments to enterprises, from cities to rural areas. This sense of ownership is the cornerstone of sustainable development.

Cultural and tourism consumption, building pillar industries, should also fill in three shortcomings

Reporter: In the process of developing the cultural and tourism industry, some places are also facing the phenomenon of "high traffic and low consumption" in tourism. How to make tourists "clock in" and "swipe their cards" at the same time?

The development of the "pillar industries" is closely related to consumption. To encourage others to consume more, we need to first ask whether there is convenience in consumption? Is there a supply of high-quality products? Are there any well-known hotel brands, popular homestays, or restaurants? Do you have any modern products?

Currently, many places are facing the phenomenon of "high traffic, low consumption" in tourism, which is mainly manifested in three aspects:

One is the supply side weakness. The current tourism products are still mainly low value-added souvenirs and handicrafts, lacking high premium fashionable consumer goods. It is suggested that the departments of culture, tourism, industry and information technology establish specialized teams to develop electronic, clothing, and design products that meet the needs of international tourists.

The second issue is insufficient technological empowerment. Many popular tourism products, such as the "Yellow Crane Tower at Night" in Hubei, are supported by technology. Therefore, the future development of the cultural and tourism industry needs to strengthen the construction of intelligent guidance and individual guest service systems, especially to meet the immediate needs of self driving tourists.

The third issue is insufficient extension of the industrial chain. Promote the deep integration of agriculture, commerce, culture, tourism, and sports, allowing tourists to enjoy both scenery and life. For example, when developing the economy of cruise ships, it is necessary to simultaneously solve the consumption linkage problem of "tourists disembarking and goods disembarking".

Reporter: Speaking of tourism products, since the beginning of this year, internet celebrities such as "Garlic Bird" in Hubei have attracted attention in cultural and creative industries. How do you view the popularity of such products?

Dai Bin: The success of "Garlic Bird" reveals the underlying logic of cultural and tourism products - emotional value surpassing functional value. Young people need carriers that can evoke emotional resonance in addition to high-pressure work. The "Let it be" attitude conveyed by the "cute and silly" design precisely hits the emotional pain points of contemporary times. Hubei's cultural and creative industries need to continue to delve deeper into the creative logic of "local cultural emotional resonance", rather than just pursuing a sense of historical weight.

Enhancing cultural and tourism capabilities, from a 'traffic hub' to a 'world-class destination'

Reporter: Hubei is keeping in mind its instructions, anchoring its goals, and building a world-renowned cultural tourism destination. What advantages do you think Hubei has in achieving this goal? What specific areas can we focus on?

Dai Bin: Hubei has unique advantages in building a world-class cultural tourism destination.

Firstly, Hubei has abundant natural and historical cultural resources. Wudang Mountain, Shennongjia, Yangtze River, etc. are all world-class tourism resources.

Secondly, as a transportation hub connecting nine provinces, Hubei has a well-developed network of aviation, railways, highways, and shipping.

Thirdly, as a major economic province, Hubei has a complete public service system, which can provide good guarantees for individual tourists' travel. The most important challenge for world-class tourist destinations is how to handle the demands of individual travelers. When tourists come by car or buy a plane ticket, there are high requirements for public services in a place.

Fourthly, Hubei has a huge market advantage. The market potential of the province's 60 million population and the surrounding hundreds of millions of people is enormous. When the lives of the 60 million people in Hubei become the most attractive scenery, and when tourists can not only touch the millennium cultural context but also feel the innovative pulse of contemporary China, the "world-class cultural and tourism destination" will naturally become a reality.

Finally, the institutional advantages of Hubei are also very obvious. The provincial party committee and government have attached unprecedented importance to the tourism industry, and relevant policies, laws, and standards have been continuously improved, creating a favorable business environment for tourism market operators.

To build a world-renowned cultural and tourism destination, Hubei still needs to strengthen its promotion in the international market. Specifically, we need to increase the number of flights on international routes; The second is to highlight the city's IP address; the third is to highlight the routes; The fourth requirement is to have international service quality.

Ultimately, who is responsible for evaluating the tourism development of a place? Evaluate by local residents, 'Can I benefit from it?'; Can I be satisfied with the evaluation from foreign tourists? These two evaluations are crucial. So, we need to pay more attention to the satisfaction of tourists, the sense of gain of local residents, and the sense of gain of tourism practitioners. Only when tourists are satisfied, residents benefit, and practitioners have dignity, can cultural tourism integration enter a positive incentive development channel.

I think that when Hubei's cultural and tourism industry shifts from resource dependence to innovation driven, from scenic sightseeing to life experience, implants cultural genes into contemporary life, reconstructs consumption scenarios with technology, and uses systems to ensure the sharing of hosts and guests, it can achieve a leap from a "traffic highland" to a "world-class destination".

Source | Changjiang Cloud APP Editor | Liu Xin Reproduction Please indicate the source