The 2019 Culture and Tourism Digital Fusion Innovation Development Conference is held in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on Oct 9. [Photo/people.com.cn] 

The 2019 Culture and Tourism Digital Fusion Innovation Development Conference, the first-ever national industry event staged with the theme of digital culture and tourism, successfully took place in Shanxi province on Oct 9, according to the organizers.

Held under the auspices of the China Tourism Academy, the conference was sponsored by the Information Office of the Shanxi Provincial Government and Shanxi Department of Culture and Tourism. It was organized by Shanxi Culture and Tourism Investment Holdings Group.

The conference, themed around the fusion of digital culture with tourism consisted of six activities. 

These included an opening ceremony, a forum, a roundtable discussion and a digital exhibition. The latter covered topics such as the cultural and tourism sectors, intangible cultural heritage and its technological development. 

Dozens of industry experts, academics and entrepreneurs gave keynote speeches on the integrated development of culture and tourism in the digital era.

Zhang Fuming, vice-governor of the Shanxi Provincial Government, addressed the opening ceremony. 

He said that the era of fusional development of culture and tourism would power the cutting-edge advancement of the sectors – and added that the conference would promote the innovation of digital culture and tourism in Shanxi.

A national applications laboratory on the fusion of culture and tourism is launched at the conference. [Photo/people.com.cn] 

The China Tourism Academy, together with Shanxi Culture and Tourism Investment Holdings Group, at the event launched a national applications laboratory for the digital fusion of culture and tourism.

The company also signed strategic partnership agreements with several cultural and internet companies and institutions in the areas of culture and tourism big data, smart tourism, digital village and digital performance -- followed by the establishment of a Shanxi Culture and Tourism Company Alliance. 

In addition, the Shanxi Culture and Tourism Digital Experience Center -- the first of its kind in China -- and the Shanxi Smart Tourism Cloud Platform were opened and launched before the opening ceremony. 

Officials said that Shanxi Culture and Tourism Investment Holdings Group has contributed significantly to the integrated development of culture and tourism since it was established in 2017. 

They said it has been promoting the integration of cultural and tourism resources, developing a complete management system – as well as building platforms for the development of culture and tourism, operations, investment and financing, as well as for smart tourism.