Digital Integration in Culture and Tourism, Smart Empowerment for Hunan. Guided by the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and organized by Hunan Daily Press, the 2026 Hunan Cultural Tourism Industry Expo grandly opened on August 21 at the Hunan International Convention Center (Mango Hall) in Changsha. Covering nearly 30,000 square meters, the Expo features four meticulously curated thematic zones—Digital Culture and Tourism, Integration of Culture and Tourism, Cultural Tourism Consumption, and Thematic Promotion—bringing together over 500 enterprises. The venue was bustling with visitors, showcasing the latest achievements in digital transformation and integrated development of the cultural tourism industry in Hunan and across the country, and presenting an immersive feast of cutting-edge technology and profound cultural heritage. The Expo will run until August 23, and visitors can enter for free by scanning a QR code.
A major highlight of this year's Expo is its profound technological focus. In the Digital Culture and Tourism zone, over 30 leading digital culture and tourism enterprises from home and abroad gathered, including industry giants such as China Digital Culture Group, China Broadcasting Network, iFLYTEK, and Hikvision. These companies showcased a range of multi-scenario solutions, including digital museums, smart scenic areas, and immersive experiences, allowing visitors to experience up close how cutting-edge digital technologies like glasses-free 3D, the AI Metaverse, and VR/AR are empowering the traditional cultural tourism industry.
At the booth of Hunan Boshi Zhiying, a long queue of visitors lined up to experience interactive projects. By simply uploading a photo or entering a name, the system can instantly generate travel photography masterpieces in various styles and even customize laser-engraved exclusive fridge magnets on the spot. Wang Ying, the head of the company, noted in an interview that their smart equipment has been successfully deployed in the Hunan Museum and numerous renowned scenic spots across China, significantly enhancing visitors' interactive experiences and the efficiency of cultural dissemination through technological means.
Beyond the direct showcase of cutting-edge technologies, infrastructure development and the digitalization of resources in the cultural tourism sector were also focal points of this Expo. During the event, the "Digital Key + United Digital Assets" platform, jointly developed by Hunan Daily Culture and Tourism Group and Lianhe Liguo Cultural Equity Exchange, was officially launched. This platform is dedicated to aggregating high-quality intangible cultural heritage resources nationwide, aiming to build a full-chain service system encompassing rights confirmation, circulation, industry revitalization, and cultural export. Through this standardized digital service platform, it will provide robust technical support and commercialization pathways for national intangible cultural heritage masters and representative inheritors, further promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional culture.
The Expo is not only a showcase of Hunan's local cultural tourism achievements but also a grand gathering for cross-regional cultural tourism exchange. Cultural tourism institutions from Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Guangxi brought their distinctive cultural tourism products to Changsha, sharing new experiences in regional development. The main stage was open nationwide, hosting dedicated cultural tourism promotion events for provinces such as Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi on the very first day. Notably, the Liaoning delegation was particularly robust, bringing nine cities including Shenyang, Dalian, and Liaoyang to Hunan, extending a warm invitation to the beautiful landscapes of Hunan. To further deepen industrial cooperation, the 2026 Hunan Digital Culture and Tourism Supply-Demand Matchmaking Event will be held on August 22, building a bridge for the precise matching of cultural tourism resources among participants and facilitating project implementation and industrial upgrading.
While focusing on industry and technology, the Expo also pays high attention to the vitality of the cultural tourism consumption market. The "Xiang Wei Li" Food Culture Thematic Exhibition, meticulously planned by the Hunan Cuisine News of Hunan Daily Press, debuted simultaneously. This zone gathered numerous renowned Hunan cuisine restaurants, master chefs, and signature dishes, allowing visitors to savor authentic Hunan flavors in one stop and attracting a large number of citizens for free tastings. In addition, the food market widely gathered popular internet-famous foods from across the country. Traditional Hunan cuisine and modern trendy foods complemented each other, creating soaring popularity on site and fully demonstrating the immense potential of cultural tourism integration in boosting consumption and igniting the vibrant vitality of urban life.
The successful holding of the 2026 Hunan Cultural Tourism Industry Expo not only provides a broad platform for cultural tourism enterprises at home and abroad to showcase and exchange ideas, but also injects new momentum into the high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry in Hunan and across the country through digital empowerment and in-depth cross-regional cooperation. As the Expo progresses, more new cultural tourism scenarios, emerging consumption trends, and innovative partnerships will converge here, sparking brilliant synergies.