Longmen Grottoes takes the lead in smart tourism

Updated: 2015-09-23

Longmen Grottoes, the treasure house of ancient Buddhist cave art, has entered a new tourism era thanks to the “Internet Plus Longmen” smart tourism WeChat platform activated in the scenic area two months ago.

“During the first 13 days after the launch of Internet Plus Longmen, the platform helped 8,321 people buy more than 18,500 tickets, saving around 5,417 hours for the visitors,” said Yu Ying, head of Longmen Grottoes’ scenic area management committee.

More significantly, the platform allows the staff members in Longmen to get real-time knowledge of the precise number of tourists in every scenic spot, so that they can methodically lay out emergency measures before a peak visitor period.

“Internet Plus”, an action plan aiming to integrate the Internet with traditional industries and fuel economic growth, has been an important national digital focus since it was mentioned by Premier Li Keqiang in the Government Work Report in March this year.

According to Yu, the launch of “Internet Plus Longmen” smart tourism, with services such as a self-service audio tour guide, allows tourists to “call the shots for their own experience” in an easier way.

All ticket types in the Longmen scenic area can be purchased through the WeChat platform. In addition, visitors can use the platform to access the free WiFi in the scenic area and get a 3D street view map of each scenic spot.

“There’s a small game on the official WeChat of Longmen Grottoes. I uploaded my photo and it told me the Buddha I have predestined affinity with. It’s an interesting experience,” said a Mr. Zhang from Shanxi province, who visited Longmen in mid-August. Zhang said he made the trip because he wanted to pay a visit to his “predestined Buddha”.

“The more we meet the non-contact experience needs of tourists, the more we will enhance historical heritage protection,” said Shi Lihua, head of the smart tourism office of the Longmen scenic area tourism bureau. “Before we brought in the Internet technology, we didn’t know much about the visitors’ tastes and just stuffed them with everything we have,” Shi said.

She added that now with the support of cloud computing and big data, Longmen Grottoes can provide personalized recommendations of tour packages based on the origins of tourists and their consumption habits.

Doctor Zeng Qian of the Land and Tourism School of Luoyang Normal University, said, “’Internet Plus Longmen’ provides a sound platform for the extension of the tourism industrial chain. It is a benchmarking reference for the tourism industry, especially for those heritage sites.”

Zeng also suggested that smart tourism should go side by side with academic support, to fully integrate the advanced technology with the profound history and culture of Longmen.