Tourism Investment: Dai Bin Dialogues with Aranya, Atour Group, Madieer Culture & Tourism, Taowen Culture & Tourism Group, Quanzhou Culture & Tourism Group, Aoya Co., Ltd., Hefei Binhu Investment Holding Group, Kangteng Tourism, Xiangwai Culture & Tourism
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Editor-in-Chief | Yang Ming
Editor | Liu Kaiye
At the 2024 China Tourism Group Development Forum, Dean Dai Bin chaired the "Tourism Investment and Industrial Innovation Roundtable Dialogue," with General Manager Xiong Honghua of Tao Wenlv Group, Chairman Li Ruifeng of Hefei Binhu Investment Holding Group, Chairman Wang Wukun of Quanzhou Wenlv Group, General Manager Zhou Wei of Madier Wenlv Investment Group, Ms. Tang Lei, Executive General Manager of Kangteng Tourism, Founder and CEO of Aranya Ma Yin, Founder and Chief User Experience Officer of Ado Group Wang Haijun, President Li Fangyue, co-founder of Oya Shares, and Chairperson Zhang Bei of Xiangwai Wenlv engaging in discussions on tourism investment and industrial innovation. The main viewpoints of the dialogue are shared below.
Dai Bin: It's great to see you all again. I'd like to ask Mr. Ma Yin, about the transformation of your Lonely Library, from "lonely" to its current widespread recognition. What are your thoughts on this process? Why did you choose the name "Lonely"? Aranya has now become a lifestyle; was this your initial dream?
Ma Yin: We always say that Aranya is a project that evolved, its current success is unexpected, and the Lonely Library is an even bigger surprise. Our original goal was self-preservation. Initially, it was a traditional tourism real estate project, and we were backed into a corner, forcing us to explore transformation.
I believe that culture, art, and literature touch the softer, more vulnerable parts of the human heart. Architecture is also a crucial component of culture and art, especially among young people whose love for architecture surpasses our imagination. What constitutes poetic architecture? When the functional needs of a building are far less than its spiritual needs, it becomes poetic architecture. Inspired by this, we connected a series of spiritual buildings along the coast through walkways, creating the main axis of Aranya's spiritual and cultural life. This resulted in the cultural architectural complex including the Lonely Library, the Seaside Auditorium, the Sand Dune Art Museum, and the Seaside Concert Hall. During this process, Aranya continuously adjusted and changed based on market and customer needs, ultimately resulting in this innovative project.
Dai Bin: I think Aranya creates more of a lifestyle, whether it's tourism or leisure. It's like when I first visited Hangzhou and saw "Ten Miles of Fragrant Flowers." The name itself was inspiring; what a poetic entrepreneur to come up with such a name. Ms. Zhang Bei, could you share with us why you created such a gentle name for "Ten Miles of Fragrant Flowers" and the success of your business model?
Zhang Bei: My life and flowers are inextricably linked, from my name, which means a flower bud, to the blossoming flower of the original Huajian Tang. I've always contemplated things related to my life, or rather, I've been planning my retirement. I envisioned a village filled with flowers, a place where I could wake up to the sight of flowers and fall asleep to their fragrance. By chance, I came to the West Lake wetlands in Hangzhou. The West Lake wetlands consist of seven small islands arranged longitudinally. Walking around these seven islands is exactly 10,000 steps, which I considered to be about ten miles. When I undertake projects, I usually start from my own needs. I wanted to find a place that could bring me peace of mind and a sense of home. In creating "Ten Miles of Fragrant Flowers," I wanted to create a space where a group of people, a group of teachers, could discuss ideas beyond daily life. Therefore, the slogan of "Ten Miles of Fragrant Flowers" is "In search of kindred spirits."
Our products truly cater to those whose spiritual needs outweigh their material needs. I believe that our cities should be spaces for material production, while the current significance and value of rural areas lie in their role as spaces for our own reproduction. I truly hope to find new meaning and value in rural areas from this perspective.
Dai Bin: I hope that while achieving commercial success, you can pave a true path for the integration of culture and tourism. Mr. Wang Haijun, is this also your idea? Could you explain the name of your Ado brand?
Wang Haijun: Ado actually comes from a small village on the banks of the Nujiang River in Yunnan. After visiting Bhutan, I felt a sense of inner peace, so I returned to China to search for similar places. I unexpectedly discovered the village of Ado on the banks of the Nujiang River in Yunnan. This place brought me inner peace, and I transformed that peace into a product, which then became our brand and brought it back to the city. Initially, we didn't have any grand ideas when we started our business; we just thought about how to do things differently, because the previous generation had already done a great job, and functional value was already well-satisfied. I thought that if we were to create differentiation, we had to create emotional value and experience to find our place, and this is actually the path Ado has been following.
I studied tourism, and when we were studying, everyone talked about Chinese service. Today, when we look at Chinese service, it's based on our understanding of foreign hotel management, a standardized execution; we were merely executors. However, I feel that after so many years of development, China's tourism industry has accumulated a lot of experience. Based on this, we should highlight the essence of Chinese culture and express it in a modern commercial way. This is what Ado has always advocated: the Chinese experience, Chinese warmth, moderation, and humanity. Our first priority is to create warm connections between people.
Dai Bin: Now, let's ask Mr. Xiong Honghua, when you were creating Taoxi Chuan, did you intend to create a global business? I've read some project introductions, and I think it's a very open concept. With so many "scenery drifters" coming to your place, how do you integrate different cultures?
Xiong Honghua: It wasn't that grand. I agree with Mr. Ma's statement that projects are developed over time. We say that Taoxi Chuan grew organically. Before Taoxi Chuan, there were only dilapidated old factories, closed down, with sewage flowing everywhere, and no direction. On this wasteland, we carefully cleaned it up and brought in young people. Now, you see 60,000 scenery drifters; Taoxi Chuan has gathered nearly 30,000 people. But the whole process was very difficult. Our chairman, Liu Zili, is a man of spirit and ideals, and I am the executor, gradually realizing his dream.
We have dreams, and as a state-owned enterprise, we can be a patient company. We are willing to cultivate for a long time to build an ecosystem. So in 2016, we found those young people who set up stalls; it was tough at first. We encouraged our employees to buy, and encouraged those who built for us to buy. We discovered the needs of young people. Jingdezhen is a city with great potential because it has a population of 600,000, 80,000 university students, 60,000 "Jingdiao" (people who moved to Jingdezhen for pottery), including 5,000 foreign "Jingdiao", and many travelers and tourists. We have always wanted to figure out how to keep these transient visitors who are graduating and leaving, or traveling and going home. This is our dream and ideal, shared with Chairman Liu Zili.
Dai Bin: Thank you. I hope you can dream for life, make your dreams come true, and get better and better.
Next, I'd like to ask Ms. Fang Yue, I know you've done very well in family tourism. Is it because you are a female leader, or is it out of commercial sensitivity that you focus on family tourism?
How do you create these projects?
Li Fangyue: Dean Dai Bin's question just now was excellent. The development paths of my company and those of the other guests are quite similar; they were all forced by circumstances. It wasn't clear from the beginning that there was a huge demand in the direction of family cultural tourism. In fact, this was a very accidental result of the demands of the times and my own inner voice. I think all the guests present represent the innovative force of China's cultural tourism industry, which is especially valuable. Therefore, I am particularly grateful to the China Cultural Tourism Research Institute for its positive influence and driving force in the industry.
All of us guests present may have three common characteristics. First, none of us have monopoly resources, so to survive, we must innovate. Aoya is also like this; we started as a small landscape design company, and initially, our main demand came from real estate. Gradually, we developed collaborations like ours with Aranya and Ma Yin, creating innovative things related to "poetry and distant places." Second, this group of people present shares a common understanding: that spiritual value is greater than material value. We all have our core values and spiritual strength. So, including the family cultural tourism we do, we have always insisted on providing sustainable happiness for children. What is sustainable happiness? It's happiness at your doorstep; Disney's kind is not sustainable, maybe only one chance a year to go. The third common point is, how do we, these people, survive, not just with "poetry and distant places"? Whether it's Aranya or Atour, they have all achieved their own reproducible business models, which I think is the greatest example. Because innovation inherently has uniqueness and non-standard attributes, how do you find a reproducible business model within non-standard, warm, and differentiated products? This is a core issue. If successful on this point, and the business model can proceed, the enterprise can then develop sustainably.
Dai Bin: I'd like to ask Mr. Tang, what do you think is your biggest advantage when starting a business in Yunnan?
Tang Lei: Yunnan's biggest advantages are definitely its natural environment and cultural diversity. Kanto started with this idea in 2008 and was officially established in 2009. Our company's founding team are all outdoor enthusiasts. We found that in places with the most extreme scenery and the deepest humanistic and historical heritage, there is often no cultural tourism product that can accommodate everyone. This is the first reason. Second, in terms of resources, our country has so many good national parks and nature parks, but lacks an environmentally friendly vehicle that allows people to access these resources.
So for these two reasons, since 2009, we have been looking for niche, unknown, distinctive, and resource-rich destinations. We have built a series of tent camps, which I consider models of eco-tourism, using the gentlest method of tents. Our company is based in Yunnan, understands Yunnan best, and from Yunnan, we are starting to expand nationwide.
I believe the concept of eco-tourism first refers to environmental protection, and second, to protecting the well-being of local indigenous people. In fact, internationally, eco-tourism is high-end tourism; it's not mass tourism. The top eco-tourism destinations internationally, such as Maasai Mara in Africa, the Amazon in South America, and the Arctic and Antarctic, are all high-end tourism in the true sense. Mass tourism is suitable for sightseeing. We hope that eco-tourism will prioritize quality over quantity, protecting the environment while also developing tourism.
Furthermore, eco-tourism also benefits the well-being of indigenous people. All employees at our camps are locals; 90% are local, and only 10% of the management team are seconded by us. When you and General Haijun were just discussing Chinese-style service, I had an idea: Chinese-style service is actually the service provided by people from different cultural backgrounds in China.
Dai Bin: Okay, thank you. We've come from the south to the snowy north. Could Mr. Zhou share with us how Harbin has recently become incredibly popular? I know that the Madier Group played a significant supporting role in this process. My question to you is: How can the growth of an enterprise be integrated with the development strategy of a region? What did Harbin do right to gain such popularity?
Zhou Wei: Harbin's biggest characteristic is being a place covered in ice and snow, and also having bright sunshine on Sun Island in summer. As a state-owned enterprise just integrated last year, we naturally undertook the responsibility for developing high-quality products and ensuring sustainable development of the best local resources. This is a matter for generations to come. The Harbin Municipal Government has entrusted the responsibility of developing local cultural tourism to our entire enterprise group. Our group has also gathered Harbin's best cultural tourism resources, including the Ice and Snow World, Sun Island, Yabuli, St. Sophia Cathedral, and Madier, all of which are our company's assets. It is our undeniable responsibility to ensure that these high-quality assets of the enterprise group play their part.
I used to be in media, transitioning from television to enterprise. Because I used to focus on communication, after joining the enterprise, I paid special attention to how to develop within the new era's communication context. I greatly benefited from listening to the shares of several experts just now, and one point is that everyone is very pragmatic. I now feel that enterprises thriving in the cultural tourism market all adhere to a pragmatic attitude. This pragmatic attitude, whether from an academic perspective or in terms of professional development, should be our primary principle that we uphold or must insist upon – neither exaggerating nor belittling ourselves. If you exaggerate, you won't be able to get first-hand data; if you belittle yourself, you lose confidence in market judgment.
"What did Harbin do right?" I believe Harbin did two things right. The first, as I just mentioned, is being pragmatic. Harbin's popularity last winter began with handling a public opinion crisis, and it was achieved through pragmatism. Second, serving the people wholeheartedly. This statement might sound very theoretical, but it is indeed the reality.
Dai Bin: Thank you. I'd like to pose a thought-provoking question: While protecting consumer dignity, how can we also ensure that industry professionals have dignity? This is the kind of more idealistic society we should strive to build.
Mr. Wenkun, you came from the financial sector, which people generally perceive as high and mighty. What are your thoughts on suddenly moving into cultural and tourism?
Wang Wenkun: I am a newcomer to the cultural tourism industry. As of today, I have been working in this position for less than a month and a half. During this month and a half, I participated in organizing several cultural tourism-related activities in Quanzhou Ancient City, including last weekend's ancient city walk, which has been held for six consecutive sessions. There was also the China Food Festival and the Snack Street Food Carnival, both national events. There were also digital cultural tourism IPs and Digital Culture Week activities. Yesterday, Cai Guoqiang's fireworks art show in Quanzhou was also held. Through these activities, I felt the charm of cultural tourism. Cultural tourism can bring a better life to everyone, and I feel very honored to be involved in this industry.
From the perspective of asset investment returns, the cultural tourism industry has a relatively long cycle. For state-owned enterprises, many involve heavy asset investment. I think the most important point from an investment perspective is the business model and operational logic. This requires patient capital. Mr. Xiong also mentioned the investment of patient capital and long-term persistence just now. I think this is the most crucial thing.
Dai Bin: Thank you. I believe finance and tourism truly learn from each other, especially the diversified investment models of financial capital. We hope that after you join, you can bring more fresh energy to this industry.
I would like to ask an entrepreneur from my hometown, Mr. Ruifeng, when you undertake projects, what proportion does culture account for in your mind?
Or what role do you think culture plays in a successful project?
Li Ruifeng: Dean Dai, this question is excellent, as I've been pondering it too. My answer is that a cultural tourism project without culture is unsustainable. As we say in my hometown, it would 'fizzle out' eventually. What proportion should culture account for? I haven't specifically considered its detailed breakdown, but I believe it should be at least over half, the more, the better.
We started by developing cultural districts, and we've been doing it for 12 years. I often say that urban mixed-use projects are generally similar – what's on the first floor, what's on the second floor – but every cultural district is unique. Why can our cultural districts stand out? I say our biggest feature is that the culture embodied in each district is different. But as for how much cultural content can be incorporated, our team has put in great effort, and achieving over 60% is already very good.
In a word, without culture, I believe cultural tourism is unsustainable. How much does culture account for in the content of cultural tourism? I cannot quantify this proportion, but I think the more, the better.
Speaking of cultural tourism, our greatest confidence in developing cultural tourism in Hefei comes from the respect of the Hefei market and local consumers towards us. They respect us so much that every project we launch becomes very popular, and when mistakes occur, consumers give us many encouraging messages like, 'It's not easy to run a business,' and 'What's wrong with making a few mistakes? As long as they are doing it, we still have places to go on weekends.' Anhui has rich cultural tourism resources, but none are in Hefei. World cultural heritage sites like Hongcun, Huangshan, and Jiuhuashan are not in Hefei. I strongly agree with Dean Dai's statement this year that Hefei should build a comprehensive cultural tourism hub for Anhui. At that time, Dean Dai Bin advised us in Hefei, 'Why always look to the past? You should look to the future, look ahead.' Our biggest feature in Hefei is scientific and technological innovation. Hefei is an investment city, so perhaps Hefei can become a tourist city with a futuristic appeal.
Dai Bin: Thank you all. I think this discussion has been very thorough. Through everyone's words, I feel that you are all dream chasers. We hope to have different lives, and we also hope that through our efforts, our elders and brethren can lead more quality lives. You can be different from others, rather than coming and going silently throughout your life, like the young wife in 'The Field of Life and Death' (Hulan River), who didn't even leave behind a mattress.
I also believe everyone is a dream maker. Throughout this process, I believe that even though today's discussions sound light and easy – Mr. Ma said they were all revised, Mr. Xiong said they all grew organically, and some said they happened by chance – behind these seemingly light words, I'm sure there are many untold difficulties. We have overcome them, we have come through them. I think for all of you present today to be in this position and discuss this issue together means we have at least reached halfway up the mountain. So, I believe everyone is a dream maker, realizing dreams with our talents and efforts.
I also believe everyone is a dream chaser. Through our struggles in the mundane world, we can make our nation stronger and our people happier. Therefore, when I give speeches on many international occasions, I often say that the Chinese Dream should not just be referred to as 'China's Dream'; it should be 'Chinese Dream,' the dream of every Chinese person.
Through everyone's efforts, I believe you are worthy of the titles of dream chasers, dream makers, and dream sharers.
In this process, I also hope that the government and all sectors of society can adopt a mindset: do not let those who carry firewood freeze to death in the wilderness, do not let heroes always weep silently. Cherish our entrepreneurs as much as we cherish our eyeballs; they are the most scarce resource in this society and our most enduring driving force.
Of course, I also hope that our entrepreneurs do not wallow in self-pity at the slightest setback, nor become complacent with a little achievement. After all, in this society, we are already leading in terms of talent and systems, and we have our responsibilities. In this society, there are many who protect us, and many whom we need to protect; many who strive for us, and many for whom we are worth striving. Perhaps some might find these words grand, or consider us too sentimental, but isn't sentiment precisely what is most needed and scarcest in this society? Therefore, I hope all our entrepreneurs, whether present or absent, can hold onto their dreams and pursue the light.
Special Survey on Investment in Cultural Tourism Industry
To gain an in-depth understanding of the investment and development of the cultural tourism industry, the China Tourism Academy, in conjunction with the China Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions and other organizations, is conducting a special survey on cultural tourism industry investment. We sincerely invite all member units and cultural tourism enterprises to participate in the survey.
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