‘Internet plus tourism’ shows signs of success

China’s total online tourism consumption has reached the trillion-yuan mark, according to a report on the country’s development of “internet plus tourism” released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on April 7.

Introduced in a guideline in November, “internet plus tourism” encourages tourist destinations to make use of advanced technologies such as big data and cloud computing to make travel more intelligent so as to propel quality development of the tourism sector.

The ministry report said that the Internet Plus model, which has become a new engine for smart tourism, has created more opportunities for tourism management and smart marketing.

During China’s weeklong Spring Festival holiday in February, travelers made online reservations for 60 percent of scenic spots across the nation, more than the 40 to 50 percent made in general, the report said.

Du Jiang, vice-minister of culture and tourism, said China will accelerate the development of smart tourism featuring digitalization, networking and smart technologies.

The nation will also endeavor to design mobile phone applications and interfaces for the older people and groups with special needs, Du said.