Since the beginning of this year, Yongnian has been firmly committed to taking the cultural and tourism industry as an important means to attract people, boost consumption, and add vitality. It is promoting the upgrading of the industry across the entire chain and continuously creating an outstanding tourist destination in Hebei with the slogan “So close, so beautiful. Come to Hebei on weekends.” According to incomplete statistics, during the National Day holiday, it received 1.5096 million tourists, which is 2.97 times that of the same period last year. Among them, 30% of the tourists are from outside the region, mainly from Beijing, Tianjin, and the “four provinces of mountains and rivers.” The proportion from other provinces is 1.8%. The total tourist expenditure was 1.13 billion yuan, which is 3.2 times that of the same period last year. All data has doubled, reaching the highest level in history. The cultural and tourism consumption market is booming with both supply and demand.
Adhere to the “three major concepts” and activate the “new engine” of cultural and tourism development with market orientation.
Adhere to the overall concept of “local governments protecting resources, state-owned enterprises raising funds, and well-known cultural and tourism groups operating.” Guided by marketization, introduce strategic partners and attract well-known cultural and tourism enterprises to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of the cultural and tourism industry. First, strengthen the concept of attracting large and strong enterprises. Handan City is based on the cultural and tourism center of the “four provinces of mountains and rivers” and has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Youth Travel Service Holdings Co., Ltd., a central enterprise, to deeply participate in the development of Handan’s cultural and tourism industry. Yongnian has actively seized the cooperation opportunity. Relying on the cultural and natural resources of Guangfu Ancient City and with the financial support of the Handan Industrial Investment Group, it has established the Guangfu Scenic Area Management Co., Ltd. and implemented the Guangfu Ancient City upgrading and renovation project with a total investment of 1.18 billion yuan. The four major upgrading and renovation projects of business format transformation, “wetland tour” loop line, night lighting, and landscape greening were successfully completed before the National Day. The thousand-year-old ancient city made a stunning appearance and underwent a “butterfly transformation,” pushing the ancient city to become extremely popular during the National Day. Second, strengthen the concept of operation in advance. Promote the transformation from “emphasizing investment and neglecting operation” to putting operation in advance. Adhere to the principle of “operation in advance and planning first.” Integrate various resources of the scenic area. China Youth Travel Service Group provides all-round planning such as planning and programming, product creation, and marketing and investment promotion to ensure unified planning, management, and operation of the ancient city, making the project more in line with market demand and achieving maximum benefits and sustainable development. During the National Day period, a series of projects such as “Dreaming Back to Handan” and “A Thousand Years of Light and Shadow” were planned, detonating tourism in Guangfu Ancient City. The ancient city received 769,000 tourists, which is 3.2 times that of the same period last year. The daily maximum reception reached 126,000 people, setting a historical record. Tourist spending was 48.26 million yuan, quadrupling compared to the same period last year. Third, strengthen the concept of market demand. Comply with the popular “City Walk” micro-travel mode and slow-travel mentality among young people. Adhere to the concepts of “interactive creativity, immersive experience, youthful consumption, and check-in dissemination.” Develop characteristic cultural business formats and extend consumption-oriented commercial business formats. Launch projects such as the TSINGTAO 1903 beer bar in the ancient city, lakeside markets, and national style song and dance concerts. These have hit the “itching points” of young tourists and many netizens. Using “ancient and modern” and “light and shadow,” they have attracted countless “young people.” According to statistics, the income of catering shops in the ancient city is 2.6 times that of the same period in previous years. The income of Hanfu cultural and creative shops has quadrupled.
Highlight the “three integrations” and create a “new scene” of cultural and tourism consumption with ingenious ideas.
Adhere to emancipating the mind and innovation-driven development. Use ingenious ideas to innovate tourism business formats and use digital technology to build tourism scenes. Continuously create cultural and tourism explosion points. First, integrate digital technology to light up Yongnian’s night sky. Empower the cultural and tourism industry with digital technology and scientific and technological elements. In Guangfu Ancient City, multiple scientific and technological innovation technologies such as wall mapping, a thousand-drone matrix, and 3D light and shadow are used. Using various light and shadow special effects such as sound, light, electricity, and water, the three chapters of “The Dream of Gandan, A Dream of Three Thousand Years, and Dreaming Back to Handan” are launched. The province’s first “large ancient city + water + cruise ship” integrated light show is created. It showcases Taiji culture and the image of the ancient city in the brilliant changes of the night sky. In Minghu Park, programs such as the “Wonderful Night of Ancient Rhymes in Handan” light show are carried out, presenting a digital audio-visual feast to tourists. Second, integrate interactive performances to create an immersive experience. Based on the three cultural IPs of “Formless Illusion,” “Hu Clothing and Archery,” and “One Thought of Taiji” in Handan, an immersive cruise night tour project of “Reading Three Thousand Years in One Boat” has been innovatively created and is very popular among tourists. With the theme of “King Xia” Dou Jiande’s military training, “King Xia’s Military Training” is performed in the government office square, forming a performance project with unique local characteristics and market appeal. Third, integrate idiom elements to enrich the humanistic scene. Actively develop a series of idiom products such as idiom scenic spots, idiom cultural and creative products, and idiom performances. Relying on the title of “the city of idioms in China,” innovatively launch the “Time Scroll – Idiom Stamp Collection and Check-in” program. Develop cultural and creative products such as idiom fans, bookmarks, and jewelry. Create the city’s first “ladder of rising step by step” sedan body and unlock new ways of playing with idiom culture. Mingzhou Never Sleeps City and Minghu Park integrate idiom culture into the landscape through idiom light shows and idiom lantern walls, polishing the shiny business card of idiom culture.
Do a good job in the “three articles” and create a “new pole” of cultural and tourism consumption with an open mind.
Adhere to using culture to shape tourism and using tourism to highlight culture. Explore cultural connotations, rely on brand characteristics, promote the integrated development of “culture, tourism +,” fully release the “festival effect,” and drive consumption growth. First, do a good job in the “culture, tourism + intangible cultural heritage” article to make diverse intangible cultural heritages shine with new colors. Relying on Yongnian’s five national intangible cultural heritage resources and the golden signboard of Guangfu as “the hometown of Taiji,” the fourth Blowing and Singing Art Festival is used to warm up and attract tourists for the National Day. More than 100 intangible cultural heritage programs such as Taijiquan performances and Xidiao opera tours are launched. Foreign intangible cultural heritage projects such as Chaoshan Yingge Dance and Picture Pulling are introduced, allowing “ancient and modern” to dance across time and “inside and outside” to communicate across space. Second, do a good job in the “culture, tourism + consumption” article to make the holiday economy continuously booming. Carry out the “Capital of Idioms – Golden Autumn Consumption Season” activity. Mingzhou Never Sleeps City, with an investment of 700 million yuan, opened grandly on National Day. Continuously hold programs such as fire pot performances, intangible cultural heritage markets, and idiom stage plays. The consumption turnover during the National Day period is about 1 million yuan. Promote the “old-for-new” activity for consumer goods. Carry out promotions for automobiles and home appliances. The cumulative sales reached 21 million yuan. Organize supermarkets and shopping malls to participate in promotions. The cumulative turnover reached more than 1.1 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.2%, heating up urban consumption. Third, do a good job in the “culture, tourism + exhibition” article to turn exhibition “traffic” into cultural and tourism “increment.” Adhere to the linkage between culture, tourism and industry. Relying on the two business cards of “the capital of fasteners” and “the hometown of Taiji,” taking the successful holding of the China Handan (Yongnian) Fastener and Equipment Exhibition and the preparation for holding the China Handan International Taijiquan Sports Conference as the starting point, promote Yongnian’s tourism and National Day cultural and tourism activities. Turn exhibitors into tourists and attract more than 40,000 tourists to the exhibition.
Strengthen the “three guarantees” and create a “new landmark” of Hebei tourism with a first-class environment.
Adhere to taking the tourist experience as the center, comprehensively improve hardware and facilities, and comprehensively improve service levels and quality. Create a considerate, careful, and reassuring tourism environment and turn “popularity and traffic” into “consumption increment.” First, provide considerate services and build a “smooth bridge” on the road. Issue an initiative in advance to guide the masses to “give way to tourists and give the scenery to tourists.” Implement remote control to relieve traffic pressure. Open 16 free shuttle buses daily at high-speed railways and airports. Set up more than 7,000 free parking spaces on the periphery of Guangfu Ancient City and deploy 40 shuttle buses to receive tourists for free in a circular manner. Second, provide careful services and polish the “new business card” of tourism. Beautify the “appearance” of the scenic area. Carry out centralized environmental improvement. Focus on “micro-renovation and refined improvement” to create a scenic area environment with highlights and beautiful scenery everywhere. Satisfy tourists’ “palates.” Improve the taste of “whole donkey banquet” and “whole fish banquet.” Develop characteristic cuisines such as “Taiji banquet” and “Mingzhou banquet.” The “Taiji banquet” has been successfully selected as a “famous banquet in Hebei.” “Taste bud tour” has become a new fashion for coming to Yongnian. Spoil “tourists” attentively. Organize a team of more than 800 volunteers to provide services such as consultation, answering questions, guidance, and assistance. Set up “love stations” and provide convenient tourism measures to make the masses come happily and return satisfied. During the National Day period, tourist satisfaction reached 95.8%. Third, provide reassuring services and hold up the “safety umbrella” for tourism. Formulate special plans and emergency plans. Dispatch more than 400 security personnel and arrange 100 vehicle trips to provide various guarantees. The order of major scenic areas is in good order.
Do a good job in the “three-party publicity” and polish the “new business card” of Yongnian’s culture and tourism with “media volume.”
Insist on simultaneous efforts online and offline. Explore a multi-platform, multi-media, and multi-channel integrated publicity model to expand publicity “volume” in all aspects. First, official publicity is both “powerful” and “effective.” Display Yongnian’s cultural and tourism publicity signs at high-speed railway stations and airports. Participate in the “Incredible Hebei” column of Hebei TV Station to carry out preheating. The official tweet “A Different Guangfu, an Amazing Handan” has accumulated more than 100,000+ readings. Guangfu Ancient City joined the “International Ancient City Wall (Fort) Alliance.” During festivals, it connects and interacts with city walls in Xi’an, Suzhou, Guangzhou and other places, attracting tourists from all over to visit Yongnian. Second, platform promotion is both “loud” and “colorful.” Jointly plan “Why is Handan a Little Strange” with Douyin’s hot search list. The cumulative playback volume is 26.09 million times, ranking first locally. Jointly plan “A Different Guangfu” with Douyin topics. The cumulative playback volume is 17.46 million times, covering a cumulative population of more than 20 million people. Third, media reports are both “quantitative” and “bright.” Actively connect with high-end media such as Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, and CCTV. During the National Day period, Yongnian was reported on CCTV four times. Columns such as “News Network,” “News 30 Minutes,” “Oriental Horizon,” and “Morning News” and the “astronaut connection” reported successively. On October 5, the “Oriental Horizon” column of CCTV News Channel carried out a 4 minutes and 12 seconds immersive report through live connection. During the National Day period, the media had a cumulative playback of 70 million times, covering a population of more than 100 million.