Kunshan's smart tourism platforms add value

Kunshan Tourism Resort, home to a number of well-known scenic spots in Kunshan, Jiangsu province have been offering smart tourism services since 2014, which were well received by visitors.

Kunshan Tourism Resort includes Qiandeng, Dianshan Lake, Zhouzhuang and Jinxi towns and Yangcheng Lake Resort, with four towns offering free access to WiFi. In addition, an e-ticket system is available in Jinxi town, providing convenience for visitors to buy tickets to the scenic spot.

In 2014, the Kunshan Tourism Resort welcomed a total of 13.81 million tourists, with the tourism revenues amounting to 16.8 billion yuan ($2.73 billion). The added value of tourism reached 7.56 billion yuan ($1.23 billion).

2014 was the Year of Smart Tourism, and Kunshan Tourism Resort is now entering a new era of intelligent digital platforms. It will continue with efforts to build a comprehensive smart tourism system by the end of 2016. The smart tourism system will include smart marketing and sales, smart services and management.

The smart marketing and sales focus on new media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat and own website to raise the profile of the resort. The resort's official WeChat account has so far seen 4.25 million posts and attracted 30,000 followers.

The smart services allow visitors to buy tickets and book hotels and restaurants via WeChat. By adding the WeChat account, tourists are also able to listen to voice introductions to scenic spots on their cellphones.

The smart management ensures efficient management of the scenic spots, which can allow data analysis on the website and Weibo and WeChat accounts, to help authorities better understand visitors' travel needs. Furthermore, the video monitoring system can ensure the safety of the tourist attractions.