The 2024 Digital Culture and Tourism Brand Innovation Conference opened in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, on Aug 22. The conference, which focused on digital empowerment for culture and tourism development, explored the innovative potential of digital technologies in boosting the culture and tourism industry.

The Yungang Grottoes. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The four-day conference has gathered nearly 300 participants from varying sectors. These include culture and tourism industry experts, heads of leading tourism companies, digital technology representatives, officials from Shanxi's culture and tourism departments at all levels, and representatives from digital companies and tourist attractions within the province.

A conference highlight was the release of Shanxi's first batch of digital culture and tourism innovation cases. A total of 14 projects were selected, including Shanxi Museum's Ancient Architecture Digital Art Exhibition, the Journey of Exploration in the Virtual World of Jinci Temple VR experience, and the interactive experience at the Tongyu 1941 Museum's spherical cinema.

The Foguang Temple. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The conference officially launched the "Travel Shanxi with Wukong" campaign, introducing three themed tourism routes and an eight-day Shanxi Ancient Architecture Self-driving Tour. These routes connect real-life locations depicted in the popular video game Black Myth: Wukong, inviting tourists to experience Shanxi through the game's lens.

Several travel platforms and institutions, including Tongcheng, Ctrip, China Tourism Group, and Jinxingji, have launched dedicated packages for these routes. They cooperate with hotels and scenic spots to offer accommodation, ticket discounts, and cultural and creative gifts to attract more tourists from across the country to Shanxi.