Insights & Inspirations | Building a Heartwarming New Smart Tourism Ecosystem — People First, Service with Heart: CYTS’s People-Centered Approach to Tourism

At the recent 2025 WTA • Xianghu Dialogue held in Hangzhou, China, Mr. NI Yangping, Chairman of China CYTS Tours Holding Co., Ltd., delivered a Keynote Speech titled: "Building a Heartwarming New Smart Tourism Ecosystem — People First, Service with Heart: CYTS’s People-Centered Approach to Tourism". Below is an excerpt from his remarks:

As the tide of technological advancement sweeps across the globe and people’s expectations for travel evolve from mere "arrival" to immersive "experience", one truth comes into sharp focus: the ultimate goal of smart tourism has never been about showcasing technology, but about using tech-empowered solutions to enrich human experiences and restoring the people-centric essence of travel. With 45 years of deep cultivation in the cultural and tourism industry, CYTS has placed People-centered Cultural Tourism at the heart of its practice. Guided by our unwavering commitment to Convenience for the People, Benefits for the People, and Serving for All People, we uphold our brand promise of "We Share Because We Care" and continue to explore the path toward Building a Heartwarming New Smart Tourism Ecosystem.

Convenience for the People: Smart Services Eliminate Travel Worries

The hallmark of true intelligence is not technology that demands attention, but technology so intuitive that it becomes invisible. Its ultimate value lies in solving pain points and streamlining processes, so that travelers can devote more time and energy to the scenery and the experience itself.

In Wuzhen, we have built a comprehensive digital service system that embeds convenience into every detail of the visitor experience. From purchasing tickets and entering the park to following guided tours, visitors can complete the entire journey with a simple scan of a code, eliminating cumbersome steps. Our intelligent dispatching system has shortened shuttle waiting times to just three minutes, while big data forecasting allows us to anticipate visitor peaks and optimize crowd flow in advance. Throughout the scenic area, amenities such as complimentary ferry rides, drinking water stations, stroller rentals, and well-equipped medical posts blend digital efficiency with human-centered care. The 18 complimentary "guest-focused" services highlighted by CCTV offer perhaps the most vivid example of this peoplefirst philosophy – demonstrating that true intelligence lies not in cold code, but in creating a journey that feels seamless and reassuring at every turn.

In Guangfu Ancient City, Hebei, while we leveraged technology to revitalize this millennia-old town, we also ensured that convenience was within easy reach. Out-of-town vehicles enjoy free parking, direct tourist shuttles reach the core scenic areas, and visitors can scan a code to hear the historical tale of "Hufu Qishe" (adopting nomadic cavalry attire and archery tactics). Our Intelligent Inquiry Robot provides 24-hour service, responding promptly to any need. From pre-trip online reservations and itinerary customization, to real-time navigation and emergency assistance during the journey, and post-trip feedback and after-sales support, we have embedded smart services throughout the entire travel experience — realizing the goal of "managing your whole trip with just one mobile phone".

Benefits for the People: Serving Visitors and Residents Alike

High-quality tourism development must not only allow tourists to "come with joy and leave with satisfaction", but also enable local residents to "share in the tangible benefits and participate in shaping their hometown’s future". This is the core aspiration of People-centered Cultural Tourism, and the foundation of Sustainable Development in the smart tourism era.
In Huanggang, Hubei, our immersive nighttime tourism project "Encounter Huangzhou: The Legacy of Su Dongpo" uses light and shadow technologies to recreate Su Shi’s life journey in Huangzhou. A spectacular poetry scroll formed by thousands of drones captured national attention online. During this year’s National Day holiday, the project attracted over 300,000 visitors, significantly increasing the proportion of overnight stays to 70%. A single "Dongpo Banquet" restaurant nearby surpassed 200,000 CNY in seasonal revenue, while village residents formed homestay clusters around the scenic area, with each household seeing a monthly income increase of more than 15,000 CNY. This smart cultural tourism project has become not only a city’s cultural icon, but also a "golden key" to raising residents’ incomes.

In Gubei Water Town, Beijing, we transformed a remote mountain valley into a national-level tourist resort, breathing new life into the culture of the Great Wall. The project created jobs for over 10,000 people across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, with local employees accounting for 35% of the workforce. We offer local villagers vocational training and support them in operating homestays, preserving intangible cultural heritage, and working in scenic area services — turning them from passive observers into active participants and beneficiaries in the local tourism economy. In Qixia Street, Weihai, Shandong, our revitalization efforts have turned it into a national-level nighttime cultural tourism consumption cluster. The project has generated over 60 million CNY in total sales, preserving the area’s authentic character while stimulating local commerce and enriching community life. This is "Benefits for the People" in practice: aligning tourism development with people’s livelihoods in true harmony.

Serving for All People: Extending Poetry and the Horizon to Every Dreamer

Travel is a universal right. The ultimate mission of smart tourism lies in breaking down barriers, whether of age, identity, or physical ability, and making inspiring journeys genuinely accessible to everyone. We firmly believe that high-quality cultural and tourism experiences should enable every individual to discover their own unique joy.

For special groups, we launched the Accessible Cultural Tourism Program. In the travel group for visually impaired guests, volunteers accompany visually impaired travelers one-on-one, helping them "hear the wind on the Great Wall" and "smell the flowers in the ancient city". With professional tactile guides and auditory narration, the scenery becomes tangible and accessible. The Silent Spring Journey offers customized sign language services and interactive light experiences for hearing-impaired travelers, allowing them to feel the charm of culture in tranquil ways. We also issued the industry’s first Public Welfare Tourism Service Guidelines for Visually Impaired Persons, creating a standardized service bridge that connects people with the world.

For visitors of all ages, we offer full-scenario coverage:
• Young people enjoy the fusion of technology and tradition at Chinese-style trendy music festivals in Gubei Water Town and water-projection films during nighttime tours in Xianyang.
• Elderly travelers enjoy a welcoming and accessible experience in Wuzhen — from gentle walking paths and complimentary ferry rides to large-print guides and well-placed rest areas. Every detail reflects a thoughtfully designed, aging-friendly approach.
• Rural youth explore the world around them through the "Exploring the City Around You" educational program, visiting museums and science centers to broaden horizons through meaningful travel.

From intangible cultural heritage inheritors to urban professionals, from elderly travelers to young children, we ensure smart tourism has no threshold, making poetry and distant horizon truly within reach for all.

We Share Because We Care: Warmth is the Soul of Smart Tourism

From thoughtful details and shared benefits to inclusive practices, each reflects the core brand conviction of CYTS: "We Share Because We Care". This commitment is not merely a slogan — it lives in every timely response, every thoughtful design, and every act of empathetic understanding.

It is reflected in visitor feedback — such as on "scenery lighting brightness" — being personally handled at the executive level, maintaining a 99.99% resolution rate. It is the considerate support shown during the "Encounter Huangzhou" project, where staff assist guests with limited mobility onto boats and coordinate with nearby facilities to provide temporary parking access. It is the warmth of a volunteer gently guiding a visually impaired traveler during a charity tour, softly narrating the scene of "a sunset gracing the sky as a lone duck flies home". It is also the dedication of an entire scenic area team distributing rain ponchos and guiding visitors to shelter in response to a sudden rainstorm.

We deeply understand that the "smart" in smart tourism lies in the precise understanding of human needs, while its "heart" lies in the sincere response to human feeling. When technology empowers people and service is guided by purpose, smart tourism can truly move the heart — turning satisfaction into genuine emotional connection.

Tourism speaks a universal language and builds bridges between civilizations. Building a Heartwarming New Smart Tourism Ecosystem is not only the vision of CYTS — it is a shared mission for cultural and tourism practitioners worldwide. Looking forward, CYTS is committed to working alongside with our global partners. Guided by the principle of People-centered Cultural Tourism, we will continue to make convenient services more precise, benefits more substantial, and shared experiences more inclusive. We will carry our promise of "We Share Because We Care" across mountains and oceans, bringing warmth to people around the world.

Together, we can ensure that smart tourism is woven not only from a "framework of technology", but also with the "soul of culture" and the "warmth of humanity". This will allow every traveler to encounter beauty and feel cared for throughout their journey, as we collectively write a new chapter in high-quality global cultural tourism.