On August 21, the opening ceremony of the 5th Malanshan Digital Culture and Tourism Industry Carnival and the 2026 Hunan Cultural and Tourism Expo was grandly held at the Hunan International Convention Center in Changsha. Guided by the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and organized by the Hunan Daily Press Group, this year's Expo is themed "Digital Integration for Culture and Tourism, Smart Empowerment for Hunan" and will run until August 23. As a highly influential professional culture and tourism expo in central China, it features an exhibition area of nearly 30,000 square meters, bringing together over 500 enterprises and hosting nearly 200 invited tour operators from across the country. The convergence of these three major cultural and tourism events shines a brighter spotlight on Hunan's cultural and tourism brand.
The most striking highlight of this year's Expo is the comprehensive empowerment by digital technology, which has significantly boosted its technological content. The event is meticulously planned into four core zones: the Digital Culture and Tourism Image Zone, the Culture and Tourism Integration Image Zone, the Culture and Tourism Consumption Zone, and the Thematic Promotion Zone. In the digital culture and tourism sector, over 30 leading enterprises from home and abroad have actively participated, coinciding with the 2026 Hunan Digital Culture and Tourism Supply and Demand Matchmaking Event. Industry giants such as China Digital Culture Group, China Broadcasting Network, iFLYTEK, and Hikvision made their appearances, showcasing the most cutting-edge technological achievements. Hunan Rushi Digital Art Culture Media Co., Ltd., a leading digital art enterprise in Malanshan, made a spectacular debut with seven immersive works from its "Fantasy Series," including "Dreamland of Dongting," "In Search of Changsha," and "Fantasy of the Bamboo Sea," along with multiple projects under development. Hunan Boshi Zhiying, deeply engaged in the cultural heritage sector, showcased innovative smart tourism products such as AI-powered travel photography on-site. In addition, companies like Oriental Art Cloud, Guangzhou Frontop, Hongrui Wenbo, Weimai Digital Intelligence, and Meichuang Digital presented comprehensive solutions for diverse scenarios, including digital museums, smart scenic spots, and immersive experiences. Visitors also had the opportunity to experience firsthand cutting-edge digital technologies such as glasses-free 3D, the AI metaverse, and VR/AR, feeling the unique charm of the deep integration of technology and culture and tourism.
Beyond the brilliant displays by local enterprises, this year's Expo has seen a significantly enhanced nationwide synergy and a substantial increase in the scale of out-of-province participation. Cultural and tourism institutions from multiple provinces and cities, including Liaoning, Ningbo in Zhejiang, Xianning in Hubei, Qiannan in Guizhou, Pingxiang in Jiangxi, and Guang'an, Meishan, and Mianyang in Sichuan, have confirmed their participation. The Shanghai Representative Office of Jeonbuk Special Autonomous Province, South Korea, has also brought rich international cultural and tourism exchange resources. Notably, the Liaoning delegation, comprising nine cities including Shenyang, Fushun, Dalian, Dandong, and Benxi, engaged in deep inter-provincial collaboration with Hunan. Through diverse platforms such as featured thematic pavilions, culture and tourism promotion conferences, and special B2B matchmaking conferences for Liaoning and Hunan tour operators, they vividly showcased the diverse and high-quality cultural and tourism resources of a beautiful China. At the "Mountains and Rivers Meet in Hunan, Beautiful Hunan" Tour Operators Conference and Culture and Tourism Promotion Event, representatives from Liaoning, Ningbo, Pingxiang, and Foton Motor delivered special presentations, featuring wonderful folk interactive performances such as Li's Folk Pleated Paper Art and Southern Liaoning Liu's Dough Figurine Art, and signed cooperation agreements with tour operators on-site. More importantly, Liaoning and Hunan provinces will sign a strategic cooperation agreement aimed at further promoting deep industrial cooperation and mutual tourist exchange between the two regions, achieving mutual benefit and win-win results.
In terms of precise supply and demand matching, the Expo is dedicated to stimulating new consumption in culture and tourism. During the event, a series of high-profile activities were held intensively, including the opening ceremony, the Special B2B Matchmaking Conference for Liaoning-Hunan Tour Operators, the Tour Operators Conference and Culture and Tourism Promotion Event, the Digital Culture and Tourism Supply and Demand Matchmaking Event, the Debut of the "Hua Xiaobao" IP and Strategic Co-branding Launch Event, and the Launch Promotion Conference for the "Shuyaotong + Joint Digital Assets" Platform. Renowned OTA platforms such as Ctrip, Tongcheng, Fliggy, Tuniu, and Meituan, along with mainstream social content platforms like Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Kuaishou, as well as nearly 200 travel agencies, gathered in Changsha. Meanwhile, over ten financial institutions, including the Bank of China and Bank of Hunan, actively participated to promote and display new cultural and tourism financial policies and related innovative products. Forty travel agencies, in collaboration with tourism destinations such as Huaxia Culture and Tourism and Dawangshan International Tourism Resort, as well as hotels, carefully launched nearly 1,000 exclusive promotional products for the Expo. These cover a wide range of categories, including short-getaway tours, in-depth tours, outbound tours, study tours, hotel accommodations, and scenic spot tickets, allowing tourists to fully enjoy the cultural and tourism feast.
The Culture and Tourism Integration Image Zone uses culture and tourism as a link, focusing on presenting new integrated development formats such as "Culture and Tourism + Various Industries," including industrial tourism, agro-tourism, wine tourism, tea tourism, and intangible cultural heritage and creative products. The Orange Isle "River and Sky in Evening Snow" Live-Action Theater set up an exclusive experience area at the Expo. The show utilizes cutting-edge technologies such as glasses-free 5D and a concealed waterscape stage matrix to transform static poems and Song Dynasty paintings into a live-action performance that is walkable, interactive, and resonant. The "Flavors of Xiang" Food Culture Theme Exhibition, planned and curated by the Daxiang Cuisine Press under the Hunan Daily Press Group, was launched simultaneously, gathering famous Hunan cuisine restaurants, chefs, and brands, allowing visitors to taste the delicacies of Hunan in one stop. In addition, the Launch Promotion Conference for the "Shuyaotong + Joint Digital Assets" Platform held during the Expo focused on three major Hunan intangible cultural heritages: Xiang embroidery, Liling underglaze five-color porcelain, and Xilan Kapu, showcasing the entire process of digital rights confirmation and circulation for intangible cultural heritage works. It is reported that this year's Expo is held concurrently and at the same venue as the 5th Malanshan Digital Culture Industry Carnival. As one of the professional culture and tourism expos in central China characterized by large scale, strong market transactions, innovative exhibition formats, and a leading role, the Hunan Cultural and Tourism Expo continues to contribute solid "Hunan strength" to the high-quality development of the national culture and tourism industry.