Smart tourism gains ground in travel peak

By Zhang Qiong ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2015-10-09

While "congestion" is becoming a keyword among scenic spots during the week-long National Day holiday, no long queues appeared in Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan province in spite of a daily average of 50,000 visitors.

The uncrowded scene in Longmen is no doubt owed to the "Internet Plus Longmen" smart tourism program it launched in July.

The News channel of CCTV reports on the user-friendly smart tourism services in Longmen Grottoes, Henan province on Oct 2. [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]

All ticket types in the Longmen scenic area can be purchased through WeChat,the program's carrier. Longmen offers a 10-yuan discount to encourage ticket purchasing through WeChat.

In addition, visitors can use the platform to access the free WiFi in the scenic area for benefits such as self-service audio tour guids and a 3D street view map of each scenic attraction.

More significantly, the platform allows staff members in Longmen to get real-time knowledge of the precise number of tourists in every scenic location, so that they can methodically take emergency measures before a peak visitor period.

The "Longmen phenomenon" attracted attention from CCTV,the state's major television broadcaster, which did a feature on it during the Golden Week.

As the first tourist attraction in the nation that has arranged WeChat payment for all services, Longmen Grottoes has introduced smart tourism and brought convenience not only for its visitors but also for its staff.

"Internet Plus", of which the Longmen program is an example, is a policy aiming to integrate the Internet with traditional industries and fuel economic growth. It has been an important national digital focus since it was mentioned by Premier Li Keqiang in the Government Work Report in March of this year.

The General channel of CCTV covers visitor experience in Longmen Grottoes scenic area during a Oct 5 news program. [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]

Visitors in Longmen Grottoes scenic area during the National Day holiday [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]