Dai Bin | New driving force of cultural and tourism integration and future direction of tourism economy

On June 19, President Dai Bin of our institute was invited to publish a signed article in People's Forum entitled "New Driving Force of Cultural and Tourism Integration and Future Direction of Tourism Economy". The full text is shared as follows: [Abstract] At present, national tourism has become a vivid practice of people's pursuit of a better life, and the tourism industry is entering a new period of prosperity and development. The expansion of market scale and demand upgrading, the expansion and iterative innovation of market entities, and the modernization of administrative governance capabilities are the basic driving forces for promoting the in-depth integration and development of culture and tourism. When the new cycle is superimposed with new demands, the new quality productivity represented by technological innovation will lead the new direction of the tourism economy, and the new spatial structure will also bring about a new development pattern. Industrial practices with Chinese characteristics should and will inevitably give birth to theories of the integrated development of culture and tourism with Chinese characteristics and Chinese style.

[Keywords] Integration of culture and tourism, tourism economy, tourism market [Chinese Library Classification Number] G124 [Document Identification Code] A

Consumption is the key to understanding the tourism economy. The growth of demand and consumption upgrading, research and development innovation, and expansion of production capacity are the fundamental driving forces for the upgrading of the tourism and cultural industries. The government, as the "visible hand", provides necessary institutional guarantees for the integrated development of culture and tourism through macroeconomic regulation and micro supervision. Currently, the tourism industry is entering a new era of prosperous development. This is an era where new demand leads new supply, new supply creates new demand, and it is also an era of high-quality development of cultural and tourism integration. One of the new driving forces for the integration of culture and tourism is the prosperous development of the tourism market accompanied by diverse and personalized tourism demands. Since the 1980s, benefiting from multiple dividends such as reform and opening up, population, etc., China's inbound tourism has almost started from scratch and grown into the fourth largest tourist destination in the world. Not only has domestic tourism become a daily choice for people, but outbound tourism has also "flown into ordinary people's homes". Today, the right to national tourism is no longer a theoretical expression on paper, but a vivid practice of the people's pursuit of a better life. When tourism becomes a rigid cultural demand of the people, poetry and distant places become daily life options, and the market foundation for cultural leisure and tourism consumption is becoming increasingly solid, bringing more possibilities for the deep integration of culture and tourism. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, economic development has gradually entered a new normal, and the tourism market has entered a new era of simultaneous development of total volume growth and demand upgrading. On the one hand, the potential of the tourism sinking market is gradually emerging, with an increase in first-time tourists and a strong demand for primary tourism products; On the other hand, for the group with abundant tourism experience and strong consumption ability, their consumption demand is undergoing a fundamental transformation from "whether there is" to "whether it is good or not", from "not lacking" to "refined or not", and from "material enjoyment" to "spiritual experience", providing unlimited space for theoretical innovation and industrial practice for the deep integration of culture and tourism. The expansion of the total tourism market to a certain stage will inevitably bring about diversity and personalization of demand. Tourism products have begun to develop from a single group tour to a new market pattern where long-term and medium to short distance tours coexist, leisure vacation tours coexist with weekend leisure tours, and are integrated with group tours and self guided tours. The per capita tourism consumption of citizens, rather than the number of tourists, is a reasonable indicator for assessing the upgrade or downgrade of tourism consumption. The travel rate of urban and rural residents, per capita annual travel time, travel radius, destination recreational distance, and tourist satisfaction are important factors in considering the level of national tourism development in the new era. In 2019, the per capita travel rate of urban and rural residents in China has reached 4.4 times per year (including outbound travel), and the per capita travel time and distance continue to increase. Tourist satisfaction has remained stable in the "satisfaction" range of over 80 points, which is an obvious market foundation for the high-quality development of cultural tourism integration. At the same time, it should be noted that the tourism rights of low - and middle-income groups in urban areas, as well as some rural residents, have not been fully protected, and the potential for tourism consumption needs to be further unleashed. This is a concrete implementation of the people-centered development concept in the tourism field and a practical requirement for strengthening the foundation of the tourism economy market. With the continuous increase in travel rates, tourism demand tends to be personalized and diversified. Tourists not only need to appreciate the beauty of nature, but also the beauty of culture during their itinerary. This also requires destinations to provide more complete infrastructure and public services, as well as higher quality commercial services and a warmer cultural environment. The market demand for continuous growth and quality improvement has become the fundamental driving force for the integrated development of culture and tourism in the new era. From the data of holiday tourism market and the annual tourism consumption structure, people's consumption in culture, art, entertainment, technology, education and other aspects is increasing. Many tourists choose cultural venues and historical and cultural blocks such as museums, art galleries, cinemas, and theaters to immerse themselves in local culture; After more than 20 years of rapid growth, outbound tourism has begun to shift from "buying and buying" to "slowly and slowly", and people are more willing to experience a different way of life. The shift in consumer mentality has led to the stratification of the tourism market, with autonomy, individuality, fragmentation, and customization becoming prominent topics in tourism demand. In terms of time and space dimensions, consumer groups such as night tourism, ice and snow tourism, study tours, and summer vacations have grown and expanded in different segmented markets, ensuring sustained growth and structural optimization of tourism consumption in the new development stage with strong customer stickiness, high quality, and high repurchase rates. It can be said that without expansion of scale and upgrading of demand, there will be no rich soil for the deep integration of culture and tourism. Secondly, the development of market entities and innovation in commercial supply. The large-scale market and hierarchical demand, especially the high-quality cultural demand, inevitably require a new resource concept and high-level supply. The integration of new consumption scenarios and leisure spaces, as well as the integration of cultural resources and tourism resources, further promotes the integration of heterogeneous market entities. In the process of cultural and tourism integration, neighborhoods and commercial districts are both consumption scenarios and market entities. Commercial districts such as Wangfujing in Beijing, Huaihai Road in Shanghai, and Chunxi Road in Chengdu, as well as historical and cultural districts such as Nanluogu Lane in Beijing, Sanfang Qixiang in Fuzhou, and Qinhuai River in Nanjing, have become new tourism spaces and consumption scenes with their strong traditional atmosphere and human fireworks, or as commercial and cultural landmarks. The commercial district has a larger spatial scope and more obvious geographical indications, such as Guomao, Yansha, Huamao in Beijing, Huanshi East Road, Beijing Road and other commercial districts in Guangzhou, which gather cultural and leisure formats including cinemas, small theaters, script shows, e-sports halls, fitness centers, and fashion stores, attracting more and more local residents and foreign tourists, especially young customers. It is worth noting that in recent years, a number of commercial districts named after "li" have emerged in urban renewal, such as Huaxi Li and Dayue Chunfeng Li in Beijing, Xinan Li in Nanjing, Tianmu Li and Quanye Li in Hangzhou, Taikoo Li in Chengdu, and Lianxin Li in Zhengzhou. These "neighborhoods" that integrate tradition and modernity, leisure and tourism, commerce and culture, carry the imagination of urban and rural residents towards prosperity, and embody the development and market innovation of urban tourism that brings joy from afar and is shared by both hosts and guests. Those new tourism and leisure projects that are located in the suburbs and have high requirements for land resources, such as Universal Studios Beijing, Shanghai Disney, Guangzhou Chimelong, and Zhengzhou Yinji, have become new landmarks of urban culture with large investment, wide space, and multiple formats, improving and upgrading the modern temperament of the city to a certain extent. Behind these new spaces and scenes is the full development and organic integration of diverse market entities. Compared to traditional formats such as travel agencies, hotels, scenic spots, and resorts, financial capital, industrial capital, social capital, and cross-border enterprise groups and listed companies inherently carry the genes of integrated development. The deep integration of culture and tourism has opened up a new track for the development of tourism market entities. Over time, these new integrated entities will become a new blue ocean on the supply side and a new driving force for the deep integration of culture and tourism. The competitiveness of the industry depends not only on the innovation and responsibility of the top 20 tourism groups and other national tourism development teams, but also on the innovation vitality and R&D conversion efficiency of small and medium-sized enterprises. Nowadays, the trend of integration among various industries such as tourism, leisure, culture, art, sports, and technology is becoming increasingly evident. Whether it's the Hanfu Show in Luoyang, the Archaeological Blind Box in Anyang, the 24-hour Art Museum in Nanjing, the Mita City in Shanghai, or city tours, small group rides, and local entertainment, entrepreneurial innovators are mostly technology, cultural, and artistic teams that come from across borders. If large tourism groups and online platforms adopt a more open attitude rather than a closed-loop self consistent business model, small and micro enterprises and entrepreneurial teams will bring more vitality and momentum to the tourism industry. Thirdly, enhance the governance capacity of administrative entities and improve public services. The improvement of the governance capacity of cultural and tourism administrative departments at all levels is the institutional guarantee for promoting the deep integration of culture and tourism. Since the reorganization of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2018, cultural and tourism authorities at all levels, from central to local, have completed the institutional integration between administrative entities and gradually promoted the organic integration of business, cognition, and cadre teams. The active response of administrative entities and new management systems not only better meets the diverse demands of the people for cultural experience and tourism consumption, but also fully encourages and actively promotes the innovative development of market entities. The Chinese tourism market is a huge unified market, but also a diverse market with uneven and insufficient internal development. China is a developing country with a population of over 1.4 billion. It needs to meet the cultural needs and tourism consumption of different levels and types, while also maximizing the protection of people's tourism rights; It faces both the contradiction of imbalance and insufficiency between different regions, social classes, and urban-rural areas, as well as competition from developed countries and regions for its own tourism consumption stock. Whether it is resource expansion, product innovation, regional reception capacity, urban and rural development level, or demand stratification, consumption grading, and target customer segmentation, it means that there cannot be a universal tourism consumption policy and governance model. Instead, macroeconomic regulation and administrative intervention should be adopted according to the time and place, which requires continuous promotion of the modernization of the governance system and governance capacity in the cultural and tourism fields. Currently, tourism economic policies are shifting from countercyclical regulation towards demand side in the past four years to cross cyclical regulation that balances demand side management and supply side reform. The focus is on improving tourism infrastructure and public service systems, guiding tourism investment, and cultivating new market entities with market competitiveness and social influence. When tourists widely enter the destination living space, relying solely on commercial supply can no longer meet all their needs. Public services and supply have become an indispensable part of the tourist experience. The flourishing cultural and museum tourism, study tours, and exhibition style social activities all require the support of public cultural spaces such as museums, cultural centers, art galleries, libraries, science and technology museums, and art centers. With the increasing demand of tourists for destination transportation information, venue opening and closing times, convenience and comfort of scenic spots and resorts, as well as smooth complaint channels and other public services, in recent years, many local governments have continuously increased high-level policy supply in segmented fields such as ice and snow, nighttime, study tours, agriculture and tourism, business travel, sports and tourism, and health care, effectively attracting a wider range of cross-border entities such as equipment manufacturing, industrial engineering, art and design, education, agriculture, retail, sports, and medical care to join. Driven by innovative policies, culture and tourism are transitioning from micro, shallow, and short-term integration to more macro, deep, and long-term symbiosis, co creation, and mutual prosperity among investment institutions and market entities. The first of the four new development directions of tourism economy is the new cycle of tourism economy and the new demand of the tourism market. In 2023, China's tourism economy will demonstrate a rapid recovery pace of "high opening and high growth, accelerating recovery; momentum accumulation, supply innovation". Major observation indicators such as the number of domestic tourist trips, tourism income, average travel distance and average length of stay of tourists on Labor Day, summer vacation, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays have all exceeded the level of the same period in 2019. On New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Labor Day in 2024, there will be a surge of tourists. In the first quarter, the comprehensive index of national tourism economy operation (CTA-TEP) reached 115.11, which is in a prosperous range and has achieved three consecutive quarters of month on month growth. The overall level is close to the same period in 2019. The number of tourists and travel expenses continue to rise, and the long-term travel and immigration markets are accelerating their recovery, making the tourism market more stable. The data shows that the tourism economy has entered a new stage of prosperous development. The new stage of development faces different travel demographics and demand characteristics, especially the determining factor in attracting young tourists to visit a city, which is not only traditional natural and historical cultural resources, nor landmark buildings, but more personalized and diverse cultural and leisure resources. The entry of the post-95s and post-00s groups has made tourism consumption more youthful, dynamic, and fashionable. Concerts, music festivals, village supermarkets, village evenings, and other events attract numerous tourists to different destinations, forming a new supply pattern that is different from the past. From theaters to markets, from scenery to scenes, people rediscover the beauty of tourism, which in turn drives cultural and tourism consumption and promotes high-quality development of cultural tourism integration. For example, music festivals and concerts in various regions give cities a sense of fashion that combines traditional folk customs with trendy art during holidays; Music, opera, dance, and the fragrance of books, Rainbow Choir, LEGO Park, Squirrel Town, Bubble Mart, Starlight Theater, Chang'an Twelve Hours and other tourism and leisure projects that rely on urban renewal and are rooted in the cultural life of citizens, constantly attract tourists to visit. After the "small town travelers", the "future travelers" led by the "post-00s" group have also begun to enter people's vision, reshaping the new pattern of urban tourism together with "reverse tourism", "healing tourism", "micro tourism and micro vacation". At the same time, with the arrival of the retirement wave of the "post-60s" group, nearly ten million "new and elderly" groups with ample time, sufficient budget, and high consumption willingness enter the tourism market every year, bringing more possibilities for innovation in tourism formats such as health care, travel, cruise ships, high-speed trains, RVs, and self driving. While maintaining popularity and attractiveness in high tier cities, the sinking market is showing unprecedented potential. In the first quarter of 2024, more small and medium-sized towns, as well as rural residents who are experiencing tourism for the first time, will become the main force driving consumption growth. During holidays, there is a significant increase in tourists flying to small airport cities for "Pingti tourism" and driving to county tourism destinations and central towns. They may have a barbecue, a bowl of Spicy Hot Pot, a donkey meat fire, a hairpin flower, a season of snowflakes, a fireworks show, or they may have to go because their peers have gone, and they will have a free travel. From the perspective of the emerging cities of internet celebrities one after another, the small but definite happiness brought by emotional values such as warmth, kindness, equality, and listening to advice (rather than those lofty empty shots and historical narratives) can better explain the coupling between lower tier markets and lower tier cities. According to a special survey conducted by the China Tourism Research Institute (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism), the demand for travel in low tier cities continues to be released. In the first quarter of 2024, the customer group from small and medium-sized cities accounted for 27.7% of the total tourist booking group, a significant increase compared to 2019. It is worth noting that the travel rate, travel distance, and destination stay time of rural residents are continuously increasing. During the Spring Festival in 2024, the travel rate of rural residents in China was 24.6%, accounting for 24.7% of the total number of domestic tourists. Both indicators reached historical highs, driving the development of amusement parks, theme parks, economy hotels, specialty restaurants, and tourism shopping in low tier cities and central towns. Rural residents, young people in small towns, tourism amateurs, and the post-2000 generation have brought many new changes to the tourism industry, laying a new foundation for the domestic tourism market. Against the backdrop of solidly promoting common prosperity and comprehensive rural revitalization, the leisure enthusiasm of rural residents has been further stimulated, and they increasingly yearn for more diverse and higher-level spiritual enjoyment and cultural tourism. This requires us to consider the practical issue of equalization of urban and rural tourism rights from a higher political perspective and the sustainable development of the tourism industry. Secondly, technological innovation and new quality productivity. The exponential growth of new demand has brought greater pressure to traditional tourism supply, and the main contradiction of the tourism economy is increasingly reflected in the contradiction between market demand dispersion and insufficient high-quality supply. Under the multiple pressures of increased uncertainty in global economic development, intensified competition among domestic tourism destinations, and digital survival, the emergence of new quality productivity driven by technological investment to innovate the allocation of production factors and deepen industrial transformation and upgrading will be an indispensable new driving force for the high-quality development of the tourism industry, as well as an indispensable new direction. In the past 20 years, the change of the Internet to the tourism industry is mainly reflected in the innovation oriented to the C-end, which has produced a number of online tourism service providers with market competitiveness and platform enterprises with social influence. From the perspective of industrial Internet, there is still a very broad space for supply side business model innovation and industrial efficiency improvement. Using OpenAI

Author | Dai Bin Editor | Liu Xin Source | People's Forum Please indicate the author and source for reprinting