Pictureworks partners with China firm to promote smart tourism
KOTA KINABALU: Pictureworks Holdings Sdn Bhd (Pictureworks), Asia’s leading imaging solutions provider for theme parks and attractions, has announced a partnership with China’s largest smart tourism information solutions provider, Smart Guide Holding Group Ltd (Smart Guide), to collaboratively widen both parties’ market outreach worldwide, diversifying their businesses into new territories and industries while promoting smart tourism in Malaysia, China and Southeast Asia.
Establishedin2008,Pictureworks through its proprietary imaging technology solution known as PictureAir, serves more than 30 theme parks and attractions in 14 countries.
Pictureworks joined the PUC Behd (PUC) umbrella in June 2018, tapping on the latter’s platform to elevate its imaging services.
Smart Guide is the largest smart tourism information system provider in China, dedicated in providingcomprehensivesolutions and advancement to China’s smart tourism industry.
They have expanded their services to 70 per cent of China and parts of Southeast Asia, covering Wudang Mountains, Mutianyu Great Wall, Tianshan Grand Canyon, Jinsha Site Museum, and over 180 tourist attractions.
This partnership allows Pictureworks to expand into the untapped Chinese market by having Smart Guide to promote PictureAir solutions in their widespread coverage of sightseeing destinations, tourist attractions, cultural and historical sites, and natural landmarks.
Coupled with its US-patented TouchClear technology currently implemented in the PictureAir platform, Pictureworks is working on complementing the platform with Facial Recognition technology to offer visitors a seamless experience in picture retrieval and easy purchase of photo products or personalised merchandise via WeChat Pay and Alipay in China.
The partnership also unlocks greater business opportunities where Pictureworks and Smart Guide can jointly expand into the media and advertising space, authorising Smart Guide to promote and sell advertisement spaces available on the PictureAir website and mobile app via a profit sharing model.
Group chief executive officer of Pictureworks, Johnny Loke highlighted that the partnership is strategic as it offers Pictureworks an instant reach to new territories covering well known tourist attractions and sightseeing destinations particularly China and the Southeast Asia, while PictureAir solutions has been predominantly used in theme parks and amusement parks.
Loke further shared, “We intend to grow our business into the next revolutionary level. Apart from venturing into new territories, we also focus on driving PictureAir
imaging solution licensing business to site operators allowing them to have better control in their imaging service offerings.
“Pictureworks can then lower its operation related costs by cutting down site operations for photography and imaging services.
“The spared capacity allows us to focus on the upcoming expansion plans as well as the research and development initiatives to further unlock Pictureworks’ potentials.”