Dai Bin | Cultural tourism needs to be "exciting" but also "relaxed"

Recently, Dai Bin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China Tourism Academy, accepted an exclusive interview with Chang'an Street Governor (WeChat ID: Capitalnews), and expressed his insights on topics such as inbound tourism, marine tourism, inclusive tourism, and the development of cultural and tourism industries in various regions. The full text is shared below.

Koreans flocked to Shanghai, Thais crowded Chongqing... "China Travel" became a hot word during this year's Spring Festival. According to statistics, more than 950,000 foreigners entered China during the Spring Festival holiday, an increase of 22.9% over the same period last year. How to bring more convenience to tourists and promote the sustainable development of inbound tourism? In the craze of "fancy pampering tourists", what should the cultural and tourism departments of various places "volume" and what should they not "volume"?

During the National Two Sessions, Changan Street Governor interviewed Dai Bin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, President of the China Tourism Academy, and Director of the Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, on the above issues.

The government opened the compound to tourists, reflecting the concept of a people's city for the people.

Governor: What topics of concern and thoughts are you having at this year's National People's Congress?

Dai Bin: First of all, I always pay close attention to inbound tourism. Since the National Tourism Development Conference was held on May 17 last year, policies to facilitate inbound tourism have been introduced intensively, and the opening of the country has achieved remarkable results. The key next is how to maintain the sustainability of this growth. In this process, I pay special attention to the role of cities in the development of inbound tourism.

At present, the role of cities in foreign promotion has not been fully demonstrated. Whether it is the promotion of the national tourism image of "Hello! China" or the continued development of the "Happy Spring Festival" activities around the world, they are mainly promoted at the national level. However, for foreign tourists, the first thing they think about is, "China is so big, where should I go first?" So I hope that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, relevant departments can pay more attention to the role of the first stop city in the inbound tourism system and guide these cities to make special plans in the planning.

At the same time, I hope that the first stop city will focus on the individual inbound market. With the upgrading of transportation methods and the convenience of visas and payment methods, more and more tourists are traveling to China through independent travel. Cities should create more diverse consumption scenarios and make up for service shortcomings, such as solving the problems of luggage storage and check-in for tourists, improving urban duty-free shops, departure tax refund shops and logistics supporting services, and refining the tour guide system, etc., to enhance the attractiveness of the city from the details.

Secondly, I focus on the issue of resource opening. Nowadays, during holidays, some cities open government compounds for tourists to park, and some places allow tourists to eat in government canteens. From a tourism perspective, these measures can form a tidal supply of resources during holidays and weekends, reflecting the concept of a people's city for the people. In the long run, increasing social access points, including government agencies, will help tourists enhance their understanding of the logic of urban operation.

In the past, many tourists went to a place to see the landscape, and later they looked forward to experiencing the local lifestyle. Now they also want to gain a deeper understanding of the social operation of the city or country. The above-mentioned opening-up measures can not only increase the attractiveness of the city, but also show a more three-dimensional, comprehensive and real China.

In addition, I am concerned about the issue of marine tourism. my country is a land power as well as a maritime power. Currently, tourism development is mainly centered on land. I hope that during the 15th Five-Year Plan, the competent departments of marine and tourism will make marine tourism a key planning and conduct special research. By using airplanes, trains, roads, cruise ships, yachts, and other modes of transportation, we can build a three-dimensional travel network that combines land and sea, and move towards becoming a major marine tourism power.

Finally, I am also concerned about inclusive tourism. We cannot only see the countryside as a destination, but ignore the countryside as a source of tourists. I hope that in the process of tourism development, all sectors of society will pay more attention to the protection of tourism rights and interests of county-level central towns, low-income urban residents and rural residents. In the future, China should realize the migration of urban residents to the countryside and the migration of rural residents to the city, forming a diversified, three-dimensional and interactive tourism network.

Governor: Last year you submitted a proposal to limit the excessive use of "facial recognition" in tourism scenarios. What is the follow-up feedback from the relevant departments?

Dai Bin: I received a reply from the public security and cybersecurity departments that most regions have cancelled the hotel facial recognition check-in process, and only need to submit the ID card to verify the identity. I noticed that many hotels have removed the relevant equipment. Although this phenomenon still exists in a few areas, the overall situation is satisfactory, and "face recognition" has basically become a thing of the past.

Our research institute conducts tourist satisfaction surveys in 60 cities including Beijing every quarter. The results show that tourists have the highest satisfaction score in this measure, which fully reflects that the people have their demands and the government has its responses.

There is a huge difference between "seller show" and "buyer show"

It will be disappointing

Governor: All regions attach great importance to the cultural and tourism industry, and have been "making it happen in various ways". In the process, some "involution" has also occurred. What do you think the cultural and tourism departments of various regions should "involution" and what should not "involution"?

Dai Bin: I think “roll” reflects enthusiasm and fighting spirit, but while tourism development should pay attention to “roll”, we should also pay attention to “relaxation”.

Compared with 2023, in 2024, there are fewer cases of barbecue, spicy hot pot, or even a song or an event making a city popular. I think this is a good thing. If the basic work is not done well, relying solely on Internet celebrity events to make a city popular may have a counterproductive effect, just like the difference between "sellers' show" and "buyers' show" is too big to be disappointing. A world-class tourist city must have beautiful scenery, but also rely on perfect transportation, public services, and commercial reception facilities.

Culture and tourism need internet celebrities, but "internet celebrities" are not everything in culture and tourism. The long-term development of a tourist destination is the result of the combined effect of the steady advancement of economic and social development, and cannot be pinned on the "out-of-circle" of one or two cultural and tourism directors or internet celebrities.

Tourism is a warm lifestyle, and most of the time it is like a still stream with a deep flow. A good tourist destination should be one that attracts people from near and far, and that can be shared by hosts and guests. In addition to large projects and events, we should also pay attention to small, exquisite, beautiful and warm projects.

Take Beijing as an example. In the past, tourists concentrated on attractions such as the Great Wall, but now the streets have also become the main tourist spaces. “Three districts, one circle, four museums and one station” (referring to the business district formed by the city’s tourist attractions, resorts, historical and cultural blocks, museums, art galleries, science and technology museums, libraries and cultural stations) have become the main tourism consumption and cultural experience scenes. Even the Xinyuanli vegetable market in Chaoyang District has become a popular check-in spot, indicating that life scenes are becoming more and more attractive.

Therefore, instead of "courting internet celebrities" in the cultural and tourism work, it is better to maintain some relaxation and manage the local city life well, which will naturally attract tourists.

In small cities

Visitors can see the most authentic state

Governor: What do you think of the popularity of "county tours"? For small cities, what should they do to catch the "overwhelming traffic" after suddenly attracting attention?

Dai Bin: There is a popular saying on the Internet now: "It's not that big cities are unaffordable, but that small cities are more cost-effective." I noticed that during the spring of this year and the National Day holiday last year, the number of air tickets and hotel bookings in small and medium-sized cities such as Yanbian, Shigatse, Hailar, and Ulanhot increased significantly or even doubled, which means that people are beginning to rediscover tourist destinations. These small cities and their surrounding areas have not been commercialized on a large scale, so tourists can see their most authentic state. It can be said that the era of "low-tier cities" has arrived.

However, not every city can become an excellent tourist destination. County central cities and emerging tourist destinations must first conduct a clear assessment of the market, pay attention to transportation and location advantages, and identify target customer sources and demands through research in order to be able to take targeted actions.

Secondly, we must advance infrastructure construction, improve the public service system, and optimize the business environment. We cannot just rely on movies, popular IPs, or internet celebrities.

When introducing projects, we should fully consider the local market carrying capacity, deeply explore local market demand, and effectively integrate the incremental consumption brought by foreign tourists with the basic consumption of local residents, so as to activate the vitality of the tourism market and promote its continued prosperity and development.

In addition, county-level central cities should pay attention to detail control and strengthen environmental improvement in the process of tourism development, because details determine tourists' impression of a city, and only by adhering to the concept of slow and steady development can the long-term and steady development of the tourism industry be achieved.

Source | Changan Street Governor Editor | Liu Xin Please indicate the source for reprinting