Currently, state-level, autonomous region-level, municipality-level, prefecture-level city-level, and most county (district)-level governments across China have established state-owned local cultural and tourism enterprises. Among these, city-level cultural and tourism groups refer to cultural and tourism enterprises directly or indirectly controlled by city-level state-owned assets. These enterprises are not only responsible for the development and protection of local tourism resources but also committed to improving the quality of tourism services, promoting the inheritance and development of local culture, and shouldering the important responsibility of driving the overall economic development of the region.

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Editor-in-Chief | Yang Ming

Editor | Jing Xiangyuan

Source | He Yi Consulting

Background and Overview of City Cultural and Tourism Groups

(1) Background

In the 1990s, with the advancement of China's state-owned enterprise reforms, "grasping the large and releasing the small" became one of the important policy orientations, aiming to improve overall management efficiency and market competitiveness by restructuring and integrating multiple small and medium-sized tourism enterprises at the local level. During this period, many local governments merged and reorganized their small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, forming larger and stronger tourism groups, such as Shuji Group and Jinjiang International, etc. Through mergers and acquisitions and the integration of local tourism resources, they achieved large-scale operations and gradually developed into leading enterprises in the industry; After 2016, the tourism industry was upgraded to a strategic pillar industry of the national economy, and the importance of local cultural and tourism state-owned enterprises was further enhanced. The functions of investment and development and asset operation continued to be strengthened, and provinces and cities established local cultural and tourism groups one after another, mainly undertaking the functions of regional tourism resource integration, tourism project investment and development, and tourism asset operation management. Tourism groups at this stage often have the characteristics of "similar to urban investment", and their main revenue often does not come from the tourism industry. Their business logic is more inclined to large asset scale and expanded investment capacity, rather than maximizing profits and developing high-quality projects.

As of 2024, almost all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government in China have positioned the tourism industry as a pillar industry, a leading industry, a dominant industry, or a leading industry. Currently, state-owned local cultural and tourism enterprises have been established in provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, prefecture-level cities, and most counties (districts) across the country. Among them, city-level cultural and tourism groups refer to cultural and tourism enterprises directly or indirectly controlled by city-level state-owned assets. These enterprises are not only responsible for the development and protection of local tourism resources but also committed to improving the quality of tourism services, promoting the inheritance and development of local culture, and shouldering the important responsibility of driving the overall economic development of the region.

(2) Connotation and Characteristics

A city cultural and tourism group refers to a state-owned enterprise group that is directly or indirectly controlled by city-level state-owned assets, whose main task is to integrate and develop cultural and tourism resources within the region, and specializes in the development and management of the cultural and tourism industry. It usually promotes the development of the city's cultural and tourism industry by investing in, constructing, managing, and operating a series of cultural and tourism projects. At the same time, it also bears the responsibility of enhancing the city's brand image and promoting the sustainable development of the local economy and culture.

City cultural and tourism groups typically have the following characteristics:

1. Wide business scope and diversified business model

City cultural and tourism groups are generally diversified and comprehensive groups. They not only participate in the core links of the cultural and tourism industry but also involve many related fields, thus forming a relatively complete industrial chain. Currently, the proportion of cultural and tourism businesses in the business operations of city cultural and tourism groups is not high, especially for those established in recent years. They have integrated many non-cultural and tourism enterprises with large asset scales. Therefore, the main revenue of these cultural and tourism groups comes from businesses other than cultural and tourism, such as infrastructure construction, energy, finance, real estate, and wholesale trade. However, cultural and tourism is the strategic direction of city cultural and tourism groups and is a main business that they cannot possibly abandon. The purpose of integrating other industries is to increase the scale of assets. A sufficiently large asset scale can enable large-scale financing, and financing capacity can integrate the cultural and tourism industry and expand investment capacity. In recent years, many city cultural and tourism groups have been making strategic adjustments to focus more on the cultural and tourism industry. On the one hand, they have divested some assets unrelated to cultural and tourism to reduce the occupation of group resources by non-core businesses; on the other hand, they have accelerated the acquisition and merger of tourist attractions within the region, and the proportion of cultural and tourism businesses has been increasing year by year.

2. As "patient capital," it has the ability to operate long-term projects

Compared with private enterprises, city cultural and tourism groups have a higher risk tolerance and a stronger ability to invest in and develop long-term projects. Taking the investment and development of tourism resources as an example, most of China's top tourism resources are in the hands of the government and state-owned assets. Non-top resources are very welcome to private enterprise investment and development, and many private enterprises have indeed entered the market and obtained the operating rights of many scenic spots. However, after private enterprises obtain the operating rights, there is a common situation of long-term non-development or less development, waiting for the appreciation of resources. The reason is that the development of many tourism resources requires large-scale "patient capital" and is relatively risky. Private enterprises are precisely a group with high financing costs and weak risk tolerance, so their rational approach is to wait for the appreciation of resources and engage in resale. In recent years, many local governments have been working hard to recover the operating rights of tourism resources previously contracted to private enterprises and entrust them to state-owned cultural and tourism groups for investment and development. For example, Wuxi Lingshan Cultural Tourism Group has developed Lingshan Shengjing and Nianhuawan Zen Town and has also exported its capabilities to many projects nationwide; Suzhou High-tech Tourism Industry Group has developed the famous Suzhou Paradise series; Changzhou Dinosaur Park comes from Longcheng Industrial Investment Holding Group; Fuzhou Ancient House Group is the main body of the protection and development and utilization of Fuzhou Sanfang Qixiang; Kuanzhai Alley comes from Chengdu Cultural Tourism Group.

Current Status of City Cultural and Tourism Group Development

Currently, many cities across China have established city-level tourism groups, with different names such as tourism groups, tourism investment groups, tourism investment holding groups, cultural and tourism groups, and cultural and tourism investment groups. Although there are differences in names, the essence is basically the same, that is, to integrate the city's tourism resources and investment funds, focusing on the investment and development and operation of tourism resources within the city's scope, mainly engaged in the development and construction of the cultural and tourism industry, the operation and management of cultural and tourism projects, and the construction and operation of supporting infrastructure related to tourist attractions. Given that a large number of tourism resources and assets in China are state-owned, city cultural and tourism groups are basically wholly state-owned or state-controlled, and their actual controllers are the state-owned assets supervision and administration commissions of various places. City cultural and tourism groups are gradually becoming important entities for the re-allocation of cultural and tourism resources and the restructuring of state-owned assets, and are a key force in the development of China's cultural and tourism industry, becoming a key role and major promoter in the coordinated development of the tertiary industry in the region.

According to the different levels of cities where the state-owned assets are controlled, city cultural and tourism groups can be divided into the following two categories:

Table: Classification and Representative Enterprises of City Cultural and Tourism Groups

1. Beijing Capital Tourism Group

Beijing Capital Tourism Group Co., Ltd., established in February 1998, is a strategic investment and operation group centered on tourism, commerce, and related industries. It has established five strategic business units: "commerce, accommodation, entertainment, catering, and transportation." It also includes "content" and "service" strategic business units, creating synergy with existing industries, forming a new "5+1+1" strategic business structure. Currently, the group owns three listed companies: "Shoulu Hotels," "Wangfujing," and "Quanjude." The group's total assets exceed 160 billion yuan.

Table: Capital Tourism Business Operating Conditions in the Past Three Years

From the revenue share, it can be seen that the main sources of revenue for the Beijing Capital Tourism Group come from hotel operations, commercial department stores, automotive services, and scenic area management. The company's scenic area business adopts an operating model mainly based on "scenic area + hotel + catering." The overall business model is diversified. In 2023, the tourism industry's business climate rebounded rapidly, and the recovery of tourism demand drove improvements in the operating efficiency of various sub-sectors, resulting in a recovery in the company's total operating revenue.

2. Hangzhou Commerce and Tourism Group

Hangzhou Commerce and Tourism Group Co., Ltd., established in August 2012, was jointly formed by the former Hangzhou Commercial Asset Management Company and Hangzhou Tourism Group, two wholly state-owned enterprises. It develops six major business sectors: commerce, hotels and catering, cultural tourism and exhibitions, investment and asset management, regional development, and agricultural development. These encompass numerous industries, including "food, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping, and entertainment." The cultural tourism sector includes the famous cultural tourism performance "The Most Memorable is Hangzhou," the international tourism complex "West Lake Paradise" located in the West Lake Wetland, and other cultural tourism projects such as Yunhe Rice Terraces, the Fox Fairy Little Red Lady scenic town, and the Tonglu Shengxianli International Ski Resort. As of March 2024, Hangzhou Commerce and Tourism Group's total assets reached 1,085.57 billion yuan.

Table: Hangzhou Commerce Business Operating Conditions in the Past Three Years

From the perspective of revenue structure, sales revenue has always been the company's largest source of income. The business is relatively diversified, and there is a certain degree of synergy between the businesses. In the actual operation of Hangzhou Commerce and Tourism, the revenue generated from the actual cultural tourism business accounts for a small proportion of the total revenue and is not the company's core business.

3. Chengdu Cultural Tourism Development Group

Chengdu Cultural Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd., established in 2007, is a wholly state-owned tourism enterprise under the municipal government. It is responsible for the integration, construction, and operation of cultural, tourism, and sports resources throughout the city, project investment and financing, and the promotion of the city's cultural tourism brand and products. Its business scope covers the development of historical and cultural streets, integrated tourism resorts, theme parks, Tianfu Ancient Town, festival and exhibition operations, cultural performances, sports events, tourism route organization, and the development of tourism souvenirs. Since its establishment, Chengdu Cultural Tourism Group has implemented a strategy of "focusing on resources and the market," creating a series of cultural and tourism projects such as Kuanzhai Alley, Xiling Snow Mountain, Tianfu Ancient Town, night tours of Jinjiang River, and the China Open tennis tournament. It has also expanded city marketing and developed tourism products, such as the "Warm Winter Chengdu Year" event, effectively integrating major scenic areas and important festivals in and around Chengdu, and using innovative marketing methods such as online marketing (major websites and Panda Hometown website) and global promotion with Google to promote Chengdu tourism.

Table: Chengdu Cultural Tourism Business Operating Conditions in the Past Three Years

Currently, the company is still mainly engaged in travel agency and tourism scenic spot operation businesses. The tourism scenic spot business sector still requires significant investment in projects under construction, and will face significant capital expenditure pressure in the future. Other businesses are diverse, including real estate sales, property leasing sales and management, cultural creativity, and tourism promotion. The revenue from these businesses accounts for more than half of the total.

4. Wuhan Cultural Tourism Group

Wuhan Cultural Tourism Group Co., Ltd., established in February 2023, was formed through the strategic integration of the former Wuhan Tourism and Sports Group, Wuhan Cultural Investment Group, and Wuhan Wenxing Company. It focuses on project investment and operation in the fields of culture, tourism, and sports, promoting the integrated development of culture, tourism, and sports, and helping Wuhan become a strong city of culture. Since its establishment, Wuhan Cultural Tourism Group has created cultural and tourism "blockbusters" such as the Zhiyin No.1 cruise ship, the Night on Yellow Crane Tower show, the East Lake Greenway, and the Yangtze River light show; it has held famous competitions and festivals such as the Wuhan Marathon, the Wuhan Open tennis tournament, and the Hundred Flowers Awards for Popular Cinema; it has undertaken the construction of key city landmarks such as the renovation of the Hankou historical and cultural area and the Wuhan Opera Art Center; it has constructed and operated key cultural industry parks in Wuhan such as the China National Digital Publishing Base (Zhigu Cultural Industry Park) and the Guanggu International New Culture E-sports Center; and through high-level renovation and repair, a number of century-old historical buildings such as the Minzhong Park, Bagong House, and Red Flag Building will make a glorious return and be reborn.

5. Wuxi Lingshan Cultural Tourism Group

Located in the Wuxi Taihu National Tourism Resort, Wuxi Lingshan Cultural Tourism Group is a state-owned cultural tourism group with "culture, tourism, and investment" as its core businesses. The group's "Lingshan Scenic Area" is one of the iconic scenic areas of Chinese Buddhist cultural tourism and a national 5A-level tourist attraction. In addition, the group also owns two major scenic areas: Nanhua Bay and Nishan Holy Land. Currently, Wuxi Lingshan Cultural Tourism Group is creating exquisite scenic areas, products, services, and activities through cultural creativity and innovative research and development, exploring "tourism +" services, and building a cultural tourism ecosystem. First, "tourism + culture": In November 2022, the "Lingshan Museum," based on the Lingshan Scenic Area, was officially unveiled, bringing together a large number of cultural relics and collections, and actively carrying out museum-museum and museum-school cooperation to promote the integration of culture and tourism. Second, "tourism + cultural creativity": The sale of incense, handicrafts, food, and daily necessities in the park, with an operating area of over 10,000 square meters in the three scenic areas. Third, "tourism + digital intelligence": Nanhua Bay Cultural Tourism took the lead in establishing the Nanhua Yunke intelligent empowerment professional platform, deeply integrating the leading operation and service concepts of the tourism industry, assisting in the intelligent operation of scenic areas, and creating an integrated intelligent engine for cultural tourism destination operation, and a comprehensive and systematic matrix of intelligent cultural tourism cloud products.

Urban Cultural Tourism Group Business Operations and Cases

(1) Cultural Tourism Asset Operation Management

1. Scenic Area Operation Management

Tourism asset operation management refers to the comprehensive management of a series of activities, including overall planning, daily operation, service quality control, marketing, and safety management of tourism attractions, cultural facilities, and theme parks, to ensure that scenic areas operate efficiently and provide high-quality tourism experiences. This business covers many aspects, from visitor reception, tour route design, ticketing management, environmental protection, to cultural event planning. The main profit model is the operation of core scenic area assets, mainly including ticket revenue, other revenue from scenic area resources besides tickets (such as cable car and ferry transportation services), and scenic area rental property management revenue. Scenic areas are at the core of the industry chain, and ticket revenue is still the highest-margin and most important source of profit for the company's scenic area operation business.

Case 1: Xi'an Qujiang Culture

Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Holdings Co., Ltd., established in 2021 with a registered capital of 10 billion RMB, is Xi'an's comprehensive tourism resource development and operation platform. It holds a strong monopoly over the development of scenic spots and related infrastructure construction, as well as the operation of attractions within the Xi'an Qujiang New District. It manages and operates several iconic tourist attractions in Xi'an, primarily including the Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square, Tang Paradise, Tang Daci'en Temple Relic Park, Qin II Emperor Mausoleum Site Park, Han Kiln Relic Park, Tang City Wall Relic Park, Qujiang Pool Relic Park, and Qujiang Ocean Park within the Qujiang District.

Among the attractions operated by Quwenkong, Tang Daci'en Temple Relic Park, Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square, Tang City Wall Relic Park, Qujiang Pool Relic Park, and Zhenguan Cultural Plaza are open scenic areas. In 2022, the only charged attraction was Qujiang Ocean Park (full price 180 yuan/person). Starting from April 2023, Tang Paradise (full price 120 yuan/person) resumed charging fees. The operating income of charged scenic areas belongs entirely to Quwenkong; for government-owned scenic areas, Quwenkong operates and manages them on behalf of the government. Both parties sign a scenic area management service agreement, stipulating that a certain limit of operating income will be drawn to compensate for operation and management costs. The portion exceeding the limit is shared with the government, with different sharing ratios for different scenic areas.

Case 2: Pingxiang Wugong Mountain Tourism

Pingxiang Wugong Mountain Tourism Group, established in 2019, is a first-level subsidiary of Pingxiang Cultural Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd. Following the "strategy-industry-operation-capital" strategic layout, Wugong Mountain Tourism Group has established an "one parent, five children" industry layout structure, closely focusing on five core industrial segments: scenic area development and operation, tourism management services, cultural tourism real estate, outdoor industry, and water resource development and management, forming a business layout covering the entire tourism industry chain. From 2012 to 2021, Wugong Mountain Scenic Area invested 1.359 billion yuan to upgrade facilities such as hiking trails, campsites, observation decks, and cable cars, convenience for hikers, climbers, and campers. As of 2023, within Jiangxi Province, Pingxiang Wugong Mountain Scenic Area is the only 5A-level tourist attraction to achieve double positive growth in both tourist reception numbers and gate/cable car ticket revenue for three consecutive years. Relying on Wugong Mountain's high-quality natural resources, Wugong Mountain Tourism Group has successfully created multiple original brand festival activities such as the Wugong Mountain Tent Festival, Wugong Mountain Off-road Race, and National University Student Outdoor Sports Culture Festival, strengthening the scenic area's sports and leisure characteristics, further enhancing its reputation, and meticulously building the "Cloud Grassland, Outdoor Paradise" brand IP.

Case 3: Huangshan Tourism Group

Huangshan Tourism Group, established in 1999 with a registered capital of 838 million yuan, began physical operations in 2005. It is a large state-owned sole proprietorship tourism company, with business scope covering cultural tourism development, tourism transportation, tourism real estate, and more. As the largest tourism resource enterprise in Anhui Province, Huangshan Tourism Group Co., Ltd. holds the monopolistic operating rights for the unique tourism resource of Huangshan Scenic Area, which is currently the only one in China simultaneously holding the three titles of World Cultural Heritage, Natural Heritage, and World Geopark. It is responsible for operating four cableways within the Huangshan Scenic Area: Yungu Cableway, Taiping Cableway, Yuping Cableway, and Xihai Sightseeing Cable Car. All four cableways are national "5S" standard cableways. In 2022, the four cableways collectively served 3.0895 million tourists, achieving cableway revenue of 227 million yuan, contributing 12.6% of Huangshan Tourism Group's tourism sector revenue. Furthermore, the operating costs of the cableway business primarily include depreciation, operation costs, and labor costs, which are not high, resulting in a relatively high gross profit margin. In 2022, the gross profit margin for this business reached 67.71%.

2. Cultural Tourism Light-Asset Output

Cultural tourism light-asset output refers to a business model where enterprises output brands and management services, conducting customized development based on market demands and resource conditions in different regions, and launching tourism products that align with local characteristics and consumer preferences. This model reduces large-scale investment in fixed assets, lowering capital pressure and operational risks. Profit generation relies more on brand influence, mature operating models, and efficient management experience.

Case: Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism

Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism is the first and only comprehensive large-scale state-owned listed tourism enterprise in China operating on a "light-asset" model. It is positioned as an integrator and operator of historical and cultural scenic areas, responsible for the operation and management of various scenic areas and hotels. Its scenic areas are not its own assets, and its income primarily comes from management fees paid by relevant management departments. A classic light-asset operation project of Qujiang Cultural Tourism is Tang Paradise, where it built a complete industry chain of "eat, stay, travel, play, entertainment, shop" within the scenic area, exporting the "Qujiang Cultural Tourism" brand. In recent years, Qujiang Cultural Tourism's brand management and project model have been exported to Tianjin, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanxi, and other places, and are not limited to scenic area projects. Taking sports events as an example, Wuxi Huipao Sports Co., Ltd., the operator of the Wuxi Marathon, is 55% owned by Qujiang Cultural Tourism. This is backed by Qujiang Cultural Tourism's many years of experience in operating marathons.

(2) Cultural Tourism Derivative Businesses

Scenic area operation and management are usually the core business of urban cultural tourism enterprises. Based on this, they extend to industries such as hotels, catering, performing arts, real estate, and merchandise. Simultaneously, through travel agencies and planning/consulting businesses, they explore synergistic development of internal and external operations, industry services, and resource integration. "Tourism+" services generally include the following five businesses:

1. Hotel Operations

Hotel operation refers to the process by which hotel managers scientifically and rationally organize and allocate hotel resources, providing high-quality accommodation and dining services to achieve hotel operational goals. The performance of tourist hotels largely depends on the performance of the tourism industry. Hotel occupancy rates, in addition to being related to the hotel's own brand, price, and services, are also closely linked to the surrounding commerce, environment, and supporting tourism resources of the tourist scenic area. Hotels should adjust their operational strategies and marketing plans promptly based on their own operational characteristics, effectively utilize scenic area resources, focus on developing specialized tourism products, combine with scenic area development to create distinctive products and services, build a brand, and attract more tourists.

Case: Chongqing Liangjiang Holiday Hotel

Chongqing Liangjiang Holiday Hotel Management Co., Ltd., established in February 2010, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chongqing Tourism Investment Group, responsible for the operation and development of the group's hotel segment. It bears the important mission of the Chongqing Municipal Government to promote the development of the tourism industry and enhance comprehensive service reception capabilities. The company owns brands such as "Chongbin" series, "Liangjiang Holiday" series, "Licheng" co-branding, and acts as an agent for several well-known brands. Taking the "Liangjiang Holiday" brand as an example, the company often innovates independently by combining hotels with local characteristics. For instance, the Liangjiang Holiday in Yunyang is decorated with numerous Three Kingdoms elements, and the Wushan Liangjiang Holiday Hotel offers magnificent scenery along the Three Gorges. In July 2024, Liangjiang Holiday Co. officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chongqing Wuxi Shengjing Tourism Development Group to jointly promote the transformation, upgrading, and high-quality development of Wuxi County's tourism industry. As of now, the total assets managed by Liangjiang Holiday Hotel Management Co. have reached 5.6 billion yuan, covering multiple sectors including hotels, catering, trade, and exhibitions, but the hotel sector remains the core entity for assets and operations.

2. Catering Services

Food and beverage services in the cultural tourism industry refer to the provision of food and drink services within the context of the cultural tourism sector. These services are typically integrated with cultural or tourism resources such as tourist attractions, hotels, resorts, and theme parks, offering tourists dining experiences with local characteristics or matching specific cultural themes. This commonly includes themed restaurants, specialty snack streets, hotel dining services, mobile catering services (such as light meals on sightseeing buses or catering services on cruise ships), and culinary cultural experience activities. In cultural tourism enterprises, excellent food and beverage services often become a key factor in attracting tourists.

Case Study: Sanya Tourism and Culture Investment Group

Sanya Tourism and Culture Investment Group Co., Ltd., established in 2019, with a registered capital of 1.2 billion RMB, is one of the large state-owned enterprises under the administration of the Sanya Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. The Group is positioned as an integrated operator of the tourism and cultural industry, with its main businesses encompassing tourism destinations, tourism services, tourism consumption, urban cultural operations, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural and sports events. In 2020, Sanya Tourism and Culture Investment Group signed a tripartite agreement with the Sanya Seafood Catering Association and Sanya Agricultural Investment Group Co., Ltd. to jointly establish Sanya Tourism Catering Group Co., Ltd. Its business covers multiple sectors including catering logistics, centralized procurement, a clean vegetable center, a central kitchen, and fruit and vegetable processing. As a co-construction platform for Sanya's tourism catering enterprises, the Sanya Catering Group will benefit the upstream and downstream industrial chains of more than 2,200 tourism catering enterprises across the city, fully integrating the superior resources and private capital of all tourism-related catering enterprises. It will also cooperate with various institutions to play a role in the linkage of the entire industry and the entire industrial chain in specific tourism catering projects and derivative industries.

3. Travel Agency Services

Travel agency services primarily provide clients with travel-related arrangements and services, including travel route planning, tour guide services, and ticket booking. Its core function is to provide clients with one-stop travel solutions, and its profit model revolves around providing these services. This includes charging clients service fees; earning commissions from cooperating suppliers (such as airlines, hotels, and car rental companies); creating travel packages by bundling air tickets, hotels, and tickets, earning a price difference; and obtaining additional fees by providing additional services to clients, such as visa services and travel insurance. For some high-end travel agencies, a membership system may be adopted, requiring members to pay annual fees to enjoy better services.

Case Study: Chengdu China Youth Travel Service

Chengdu China Youth Travel Service Co., Ltd., established in 1988, with a registered capital of 30 million RMB, is a first-level subsidiary of Chengdu Cultural Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd., specifically responsible for its travel agency business. Chengdu China Youth Travel Service uses a business model combining self-operation and franchising, employing online and offline combined sales methods, and possesses qualifications for outbound tourism, inbound tourism, domestic tourism, and mainland residents' travel to Taiwan. As of the end of March 2024, Chengdu China Youth Travel Service has 107 operating outlets, an increase of 9 compared to the previous year. In July 2024, Chengdu Cultural Tourism Group and Trip.com Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Chengdu China Youth Travel Service launched five selected inbound tourism products on Trip.com's overseas version, including "Chengdu City Tour," a night tour of Jincheng Ancient City, a one-day tour of the fireworks of Furong City, a two-day tour of Tianfu Ancient Town, and a one-day study tour of the Panda Base. It leverages Trip.com's global marketing network to precisely promote Chengdu's characteristic tourism resources and attract international tourists.

4. Sales of Cultural and Tourism Goods

The sale of goods in cultural tourism enterprises mainly refers to the sale of various goods related to local culture and tourism resources to increase revenue. These goods often have close ties to specific cultural backgrounds or tourist attractions, aiming to provide tourists with souvenirs or ways to experience local culture. Cultural and tourism goods can include, but are not limited to, specialty handicrafts, creative cultural products, local specialty foods, products around scenic areas, ethnic clothing and accessories, and souvenirs. In addition to traditional physical store sales, e-commerce platforms and live streaming sales are also widely used. Some successful cultural and tourism goods will also form their own brand effects, such as the Forbidden City cultural and creative products. Such branded goods are more easily recognized and supported by consumers.

Case Study: Jingdezhen Pottery Cultural Tourism Group

Jingdezhen Pottery Cultural Tourism Holding Group Co., Ltd. originated from the Jiangxi Porcelain Company established in 1903. It is a large state-owned enterprise with multiple industries, including ceramic manufacturing, cultural tourism services, rural revitalization, and investment finance. It has a registered capital of 2.299 billion RMB and total assets of 92.476 billion RMB as of April 2022. The Taoxichuan project developed by the Pottery Cultural Tourism Group is a national-level characteristic cultural industry key project, a cultural and creative street integrating cultural creativity, shopping, leisure, dining, and entertainment. Ceramic product sales are a new business added in 2017, operated by its directly controlled subsidiary, Taoyi Culture, mainly selling ceramic products through Taoxichuan Yi Space located in the Taoxichuan Cultural Street. In 2019, the Taoxichuan Yi Space Double Creation Service Upgrade Project was included in the list of projects implemented under the "2019 National Cultural Industry Park Service Capacity Improvement Plan" of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Currently, Taoxichuan Yi Space has formed business models such as weekend markets, offline malls, online flagship stores, and Yi Ke Pioneers.

5. Tourism Performing Arts

Tourism performing arts refer to various performing arts products with a certain degree of appreciation and entertainment value provided to tourists in tourist attractions and related spaces, using indoor scenes, outdoor natural or simulated landscapes as performance venues. The main types include on-site tourism performing arts, theme park tourism performing arts, and theater tourism performing arts. On-site tourism performing arts rely on local characteristic tourism resources and offer a better tourist experience; theme park tourism performing arts mainly provide performing arts programs during the breaks of tourist activities and are easy to replicate elsewhere; theater tourism performing arts have relatively lower investment costs.

Case: Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism

Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. is a state-owned holding listed company under Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Industry Investment (Group) Co., Ltd., which is under the Xi'an Qujiang New District Management Committee. Qujiang Cultural Tourism owns three national 5A-level tourist attractions: "Xi'an Qujiang Big Wild Goose Pagoda & Tang Dynasty Furong Garden," Xi'an City Wall Scenic Area, and Daming Palace National Ruins Park, plus the hugely popular "Datang Unlit City" which gained popularity last year. Xi'an Datang Unlit City makes full use of its core advantages to create high-quality artistic performance activities, successively launching themed performances such as "Huadeng Taibai," "Rotating Hu Xuan," "Silk Road Dance," "Yan Ta Ti Ming," and "Poetry and Painting Chang'an Li," as well as comprehensively upgraded Tang Dynasty cultural themed performances. The "Playful Mural" series of performances, inspired by Tang Dynasty "Ladies' Paintings," continues to innovate content, allowing tourists to instantly travel back to the prosperous Tang Dynasty amidst the singing and dancing. At the same time, the project uses technology to empower itself, deeply practicing immersive cultural and tourism integration new products, launching the "Prosperous Tang Dynasty Fantasy" AR tour, upgrading and positioning cultural and technological immersive experience spaces such as "Gui Tang Lou" and "Wu Space," and establishing a smart cultural tourism new scene. Through forms such as "Business +," "Activity +," "Performing Arts +," and "Smart +," it innovatively creates a cultural tourism economic model and has become the main force of Xi'an's night-time economy and a landmark cultural tourism brand.

(3) "Culture and Tourism +" Businesses

1. "Culture and Tourism + Health and Wellness" Businesses

“Culture + Tourism + Health” is an innovative integrated model that uses culture as a guide, tourism as the main body, and health preservation as support. It integrates natural landscapes, cultural heritage, medical resources, and health management to transform and regenerate traditional scenic areas and old urban districts, grafting new functions to provide people with a comprehensive platform that allows them to experience rich cultural connotations and enjoy high-quality health services. Currently, health preservation tourism products solely focused on "senior care" are relatively rare, with composite, multi-dimensional, and multi-industry integrated products increasingly becoming mainstream. Observing the market, health preservation tourism development models can be broadly divided into four mainstream development models: health preservation tourism resort model, characteristic culture-driven model, advantageous resource-based model, and health preservation therapy tourism model.

Case Study: Zhangzhou Culture, Tourism and Health Preservation Group

Zhangzhou Culture, Tourism and Health Preservation Group Co., Ltd., established in May 2022, has a registered capital of 3 billion yuan and is the only state-owned professional investment and operation management company for the culture and tourism industry in Zhangzhou City. The Zhangzhou Culture, Tourism and Health Preservation Group aims to play a leading role in the full industrial chain of Zhangzhou's culture and tourism, focusing on its main responsibilities and businesses, innovating the integrated development of culture, tourism, and health preservation, and forming an industrial layout with the synergistic development of the three sectors of "culture + tourism + health preservation." It owns 11 characteristic scenic areas, including "coastal, ancient city, green mountains, countryside, and hot springs." The Group leverages Zhangzhou's unique resource endowments in traditional Chinese medicine, hot springs, and coastal areas, actively integrating into Zhangzhou's implementation of the "Famous Doctors Entering Zhangzhou" action to promote the integrated development of cross-strait traditional Chinese medicine. It leverages the combined effects of brands such as "Pien Tze Huang" and "Hot Spring Town," focusing on the layout of Pien Tze Huang clinics and Guoyao Hall in well-known scenic areas and star-rated hotels across the city. It integrates 36 provincial and municipal-level employee health resorts, launches a series of characteristic traditional Chinese medicine health preservation tourism routes, and focuses on connecting with source markets such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta. In 2023 alone, over 2 million people visited Zhangzhou for health preservation tourism, striving to transform Zhangzhou into a leading destination for culture, tourism, and health preservation along the southeast coast.

2. “Culture + Countryside” Business

“Culture + Countryside” is a development model that combines cultural tourism with the rural revitalization strategy. It develops rural tourism and related industries by excavating and utilizing the unique natural landscapes, cultural heritage, and folk customs of rural areas. This not only provides urban residents with opportunities to experience rural life and learn about traditional culture, but also promotes the diversified development of the rural economy and increases farmers' income.

Case Study: Wuhan Culture and Tourism Group

Wuhan Culture and Tourism Group Co., Ltd., established in February 2023, was formed through the strategic integration of the former Wuhan Tourism and Sports Group, Wuhan Cultural Investment Group, and Wuhan Wenxing Company. It focuses on project investment and operation in the fields of culture, tourism, and sports, promoting the integrated development of culture, tourism, and sports, and helping Wuhan become a strong city of culture. Since the launch of Wuhan's "State-owned Enterprise Linking Villages" campaign in 2021, Wuhan Culture and Tourism Group has partnered with the Tongzhouling area of Wulijie Street in Jiangxia District to form a joint party committee and establish a joint venture company—Wuhan Tongyu Xin Tourism Development Co., Ltd.—to jointly build the Linyu Future Village project. With a total investment of 61 million yuan, the project plans four areas: "Countryside Market, Smart Farming, Art Fun Park, and Countryside Scenery." It has now grown into a city-level benchmark project for the "State-owned Enterprise Linking Villages" campaign, covering more than 300 mu and featuring diverse industries and prominent brand characteristics in agriculture, culture, tourism, and sports. Since the beginning of this year, Linyu Future Village has held more than 20 themed events, attracting more than 19,000 tourists and achieving sales of more than 600,000 yuan through the purchase and resale of local agricultural products.

3. “Culture + Technology” Business

“Culture + Technology” refers to an innovative development model that combines culture, tourism, and modern technology. This model uses cutting-edge technologies such as digitalization, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) to deeply integrate and innovate traditional cultural resources and tourism experiences, carrying out digital transformation and upgrading of scenic areas, thereby creating a new generation of cultural tourism experiences that are more interactive, immersive, and personalized. In this way, cultural heritage can be effectively protected and inherited, and tourists' cultural experiences can be greatly enriched, promoting the transformation, upgrading, and sustainable development of the cultural tourism industry.

Case Study: Kaifeng Culture and Tourism Investment Group

Kaifeng Culture and Tourism Investment Group Co., Ltd., established in June 2010, has established an industrial chain layout with the synergistic development of four sectors: "urban operation, cultural tourism, financial services, and property rights research and development." It possesses scenic spots and attractions with Kaifeng characteristics and Song Dynasty cultural connotations, represented by the Songdu Ancient City area. In recent years, Kaifeng Culture and Tourism Investment Group has vigorously promoted the digital transformation of cultural tourism and the application of digital technology in cultural tourism scenarios. The "Micro Dream Daliang Gate" project, launched in 2019, achieved multi-dimensional real-time interaction between people, scenery, and objects, achieving a deep integration of technology and culture, creatively telling the story of Kaifeng's city walls. A joint laboratory was established with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, dedicated to the development of metaverse products themed on Song culture, exploring the use of high-tech means to implement the digital revitalization project of Song culture, activating Kaifeng's dormant cultural genes, creating a new trend of Song culture, and promoting the formation of a three-dimensional and multi-faceted display pattern of "underground Northern Song Dynasty Tokyo City, present-day Kaifeng City, and cloud-based elegant Song Dynasty City" in Kaifeng. The Script Entertainment City project is currently underway.

4. “Culture + Sports” Business

“Culture + Sports” is based on sports resources and facilities, with various sports projects as the main focus, meeting people's needs for healthy entertainment and tourism leisure through participation and sightseeing. It uses sports activities, fitness, and watching sports events to allow people to enjoy the healthy, social, and recreational leisure experiences brought by sports. With increasing resident income and tourism consumption levels, more and more people are becoming enthusiastic about skiing, ice skating, outdoor sports, and mountaineering and cross-country activities. At the same time, driven by demand, many tourist destinations are integrating sports elements into tourism experiences, promoting the transformation of the tourism market from traditional sightseeing to experiential tourism, becoming a new market highlight.

Case Study: Jinan Culture and Tourism Group

Jinan Culture and Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd., established in June 2017, is a wholly state-owned enterprise under the Jinan Municipal Committee and Municipal Government, integrating the development and construction of cultural and tourism resources, the operation of cultural and tourism assets, and cultural and tourism investment and financing. It has a registered capital of 3 billion yuan. In recent years, Jinan Culture and Tourism Group has actively implemented the municipal party committee's instructions to "leverage the Olympic Sports Center and build a leisure sports industry around sporting events," focusing on event economy, performing arts economy, and mass fitness to create a leisure gathering industry chain. Leveraging the advantages of being a shareholder of Shandong Taishan Football Club and the team's home stadium, it has revitalized the event economy. In 2023, the 18 home games of the Shandong Taishan team created a wave of excitement in the football market, attracting nearly 500,000 fans from other cities. In addition, Jinan Culture and Tourism also held many professional events such as the Gymnastics Championships and the Tennis Open. At the same time, Jinan Culture and Tourism Group is actively promoting the market-oriented operation of Taishan Football Club and Luneng Table Tennis Club, creating a comprehensive sports and cultural platform integrating events, talent cultivation, cultural inheritance, city promotion, and industrial operation. It has reached cooperation with Wanda Sports and Tencent Sports in the introduction of international events, promoting the high degree of integration of the cultural tourism industry and the sports industry.

5. “Culture + IP” Business

'Culture and Tourism + IP' is a development model that combines intellectual property (IP) with the cultural tourism industry. By excavating and utilizing specific cultural symbols, stories, or brand images as IP resources, it innovates cultural tourism products and services, designing tourism projects or activities with unique cultural value and brand effects to enhance the attractiveness and depth of the tourism experience, and promote cultural inheritance and economic development পরিস্কার

Case Study: Linhai City Cultural Tourism Group

Linhai City Cultural Tourism Group Co., Ltd. was established in July 2000. It is a wholly state-owned enterprise under Linhai City, with a registered capital of 230 million yuan. Its main responsibilities include financing, development, construction, and operation management of tourism projects; construction of tourism infrastructure; operation and management of state-owned assets within the authorized scope; and ensuring the safe operation and value preservation and appreciation of state-owned assets. Linhai Cultural Tourism Group focuses on deeply exploring the decoding of Linhai's excellent traditional cultural genes and building cultural tourism IPs to achieve high-quality improvement of Linhai's cultural tourism industry and rejuvenate cultural vitality. Firstly, promoting new cultural tourism presentations through scenic area upgrades and construction, establishing a four-level intangible cultural heritage project system spanning national, Zhejiang, Taizhou, and Linhai levels, realizing regular performances of 2 national-level and 16 provincial-level intangible cultural heritage projects. Secondly, diversifying development to boost new cultural tourism revenue. Through the construction of film and television shooting bases, it has introduced filming for TV series such as "Qi Jiguang, Hero Against Japanese Pirates", accelerating the integration of tourism + film and television IP. The film "A Long Goodbye", primarily shot in Taizhou Fucheng, has garnered over 280 million views on Youku since its premiere. Thirdly, a comprehensive transformation to shape new cultural tourism value. Through various measures such as introducing well-known brands like Starbucks, creating a guesthouse development cluster, and promoting lighting projects, it aims to build a regional cultural tourism + "national-level" study tour IP. For example, investing 1 billion yuan to construct the Tang Dynasty Poetry Road - Taizhou Fucheng National Study Tour Camp project, and organizing various large-scale festive events, including the Chaiku Tangsi Trail Race and the First Public Art Festival

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2024 China (Zhengzhou) Tourism, Leisure & Entertainment Industry Expo

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To further deeply study and implement the important instructions and directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping on tourism work, implement the relevant work arrangements of the National Tourism Development Conference, promote the integrity, innovation, quality improvement, efficiency enhancement, and deep integration of the tourism, leisure, and entertainment industry, and assist in the modernization and high-quality development of the tourism, leisure, and entertainment industry, the China Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions is scheduled to hold the 2024 China Tourism, Leisure & Entertainment Industry Development Conference in Zhengzhou from October 23-25!