The Annual Research Report on China's Cultural and Tourism Industries (2024) is unveiled in Beijing on Jan 11, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The Annual Research Report on China's Cultural and Tourism Industries (2024) was unveiled on Saturday at the 751 Library in Beijing to a combined audience of officials, scholars, journalists, and industry professionals.
A signature academic endeavor initiated by Beijing-based think tank Jinghe Institute of Culture and Tourism four years ago, this year's report was jointly presented by the think tank, Xinhuanet Cultural Industry Research Institute, and Beijing 798 Culture Technology Co Ltd.
According to the launch event, more than 30 scholars spent around three months writing and editing the report, which received the consulship of about 20 industry experts. The full report will be published free of charge later this month to provide valuable decision-making references to individuals working in the cultural and tourism industries.
Fan Zhou, director of the Jinghe Institute of Culture and Tourism and head of the report's writing team, said the 2024 report focuses on the deep intertwining trend between the cultural and tourism industries and various other sectors of the national economy.
"The close collaboration among the three organizations in producing the report also helps break industry barriers, unify industry consensus, making the report's summary more comprehensive and its analysis perspective broader," he said.
Fan Zhou, director of the Jinghe Institute of Culture and Tourism [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The report comprising five chapters discusses the macro socioeconomic environment in 2024 and provides an overview of the general performance, characteristics of the two increasingly integrated industries, and governmental policies related to them in the last year.
The research summarizes the 10 highlights in the Chinese cultural and tourism markets in 2024 and forecasts the top 10 trends that would probably characterize the two industries this year.
The 10 highlights are as follows. Beijing's Central Axis gained UNESCO World Heritage status. The Chinese-developed video game Black Myth: Wukong reaped worldwide popularity. Visa facilitation policies inspired "China Travel" to be a buzzword on overseas social media platforms. The Spring Festival was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The social media craze catapulted cities such as Harbin in Heilongjiang province and Tianshui in Gansu province into hot tourist destinations. China's micro drama market has witnessed exponential growth. Museums retained their appeal to tourists. Popular immersive spaces have driven a deeper integration of culture and technology. China's first domestically made large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, completed its first trial. The hit mini-series To the Wonder, based on writer Li Juan's award-winning essay collection My Altay, sparked huge tourism interest in the area located in Northwest China's Xinjiang autonomous region.
Industry insiders discuss the new consumption trends in the cultural and tourism industries during the launch of The Annual Research Report on China's Cultural and Tourism Industries (2024) in Beijing on Jan 11, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
According to the report, traditional cultural content production in press, film and TV will undergo an accelerated revolution in 2025 owing to the impact of short videos and artificial intelligence.
The report also predicts that emerging technologies such as AIGC (artificial intelligence-generated content) will be applied on a larger scale in the cultural and tourism industries, inspiring a trend of investing in digital infrastructure in these industries.
In addition, the new year, according to the report, will see social media platforms play a more significant role in encouraging cultural and tourism consumption, and consumers will place greater value on the quality and emotional value of the products and services they pay for.
China will likely see an uptick in the arrivals of international tourists in 2025, with the number of inbound tourists surpassing that of 2019, thanks to the country's growing allure and visa facilitation policies, the report said.
Event participants agreed that the publication of the report will not only serve as a crucial reference for government decision-making and corporate strategic planning but also ignite enthusiasm for innovation in the cultural and tourism industries.
The launch event also featured two panel discussions among industry insiders: one on the new consumption trends in the cultural and tourism industries and the other on how cities conduct brand marketing to attract tourists.
Liu Ning, dean of the School of Tourism Sciences at the Beijing International Studies University, said that in the future, Chinese people would like to travel more like locals, immersing themselves in the local lifestyle rather than merely sightseeing.
Tourism will be more integrated with other business formats, such as concerts and sports events, she predicted.
Yan Mingdan, vice-general manager of Beijing 798 Culture Technology Co Ltd, said that the 798 Art District has become the second-most visited place among inbound tourists after the Forbidden City in recent years. As the company is speeding up efforts to build 798 into a global art destination, more study tour programs will be developed and presented in the new year within the art district to cater to the growing market demand.
Industry insiders discuss what measures cities should take to build themselves into tourist destinations in Beijing on Jan 11, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Zeng Bowei, deputy director of China Leisure Association, said that to build itself into a sought-after tourist destination, a city needs to distinguish itself from others by focusing on its unique cultural and tourism resources. The local government should also work closely with enterprises to provide quality tourism products and services.
Panelists likened building a good tourist destination brand to planting trees, both of which take time and patience.
Li Zhengzhong, an executive from the popular micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo, argued that social media is probably the easiest way for local governments to gain consumer insights and understand their needs.
She added that cities, especially mid- and small-sized ones, should make good use of various social media platforms, which are like microphones for them, to expand their audience reach and capture the attention of new visitors.
