On the morning of August 21, the 5th Malanshan Digital Culture Industry Carnival and the 2026 Hunan Cultural Tourism Expo grandly opened at the Hunan International Convention Center (Mango Pavilion) in Changsha. As a premier cultural tourism event integrating technology, culture, and consumption, this year's Expo covers an exhibition area of nearly 30,000 square meters and brings together over 500 enterprises. It comprehensively showcases a rich array of offerings, including digital cultural tourism, intangible cultural heritage and creative products, specialty cuisine, and discounted tour packages, delivering an immersive cultural tourism experience to the public.
The Expo features four meticulously designed zones: the Digital Cultural Tourism Showcase, the Cultural Tourism Integration Showcase, the Cultural Tourism Consumption Zone, and the Thematic Promotion Zone. In the Digital Cultural Tourism Showcase, the deep integration of technology and culture is the biggest highlight. More than 30 leading digital cultural tourism enterprises from Hunan and beyond have gathered, with industry giants such as China Digital Culture Group, iFLYTEK, and Hikvision making prominent appearances. Hunan Rushi Digital Art Culture & Media presented its blockbuster "Mirage Series" immersive works, including "Dongting Mirage" and "In Search of Changsha," vividly interpreting new models of technology-empowered cultural tourism. Companies like Oriental Art Cloud, Frontop, Hongrui Wenbo, Weimai Digital, and Meichuang Digital showcased cutting-edge solutions in digital museums, smart scenic areas, and immersive experiences. Visitors can experience firsthand the latest technologies such as glasses-free 3D, AI metaverse, and VR/AR, feeling the disruptive transformation that digital technology brings to the cultural tourism industry. Currently, the cultural tourism industry is at a critical stage of digital transformation. The widespread application of technologies like AI and the metaverse is not only reshaping the way tourists experience destinations but also providing innovative solutions for scenic area operations and cultural preservation.
In terms of regional collaboration and international exchange, this year's Expo is equally full of highlights. Cultural tourism institutions from outside the province, including Liaoning, Ningbo in Zhejiang, Xianning in Hubei, Qiannan in Guizhou, Pingxiang in Jiangxi, and Guang'an in Sichuan, have formed delegations to participate. Notably, Liaoning Province led a delegation from nine cities—Shenyang, Fushun, Dalian, Dandong, and Benxi, among others—achieving inter-provincial collaboration and setting a record for the largest official out-of-province delegation in the Expo's history. Inter-provincial cultural tourism collaboration has become a vital approach to breaking down regional barriers and achieving resource sharing. During the Expo, Liaoning and Hunan provinces will host a dedicated travel trade matchmaking session and sign a strategic cooperation agreement, aiming to promote in-depth industrial cooperation and mutual tourist source generation, setting a new benchmark for the interconnection of the northern and southern cultural tourism markets. In addition, the Shanghai Representative Office of Jeollabuk-do Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea, has brought rich international cultural tourism exchange resources, further enhancing the Expo's international influence.
Benefiting the public through cultural tourism consumption is another core focus of this Expo. Major OTA platforms such as Ctrip, Tongcheng, Fliggy, Tuniu, and Meituan, along with social content platforms like Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Kuaishou, and nearly 200 travel agencies have gathered in Changsha. Over ten financial institutions, including Bank of China and Bank of Hunan, are also deeply involved, providing comprehensive support for cultural tourism consumption. Forty travel agencies, in partnership with renowned scenic spots such as Huaxia Culture and Dawang Mountain International Tourism Resort, have launched nearly 1,000 exclusive promotional products for the Expo, covering various formats such as short getaways, in-depth tours, outbound travel, and study tours. For example, tickets for the live-action theater performance "River and Sky in Evening Snow" at Orange Isle are offered at a special Expo price; the original 398-yuan twin evening ticket is now just 199 yuan, greatly stimulating consumer enthusiasm among citizens.
Culinary culture and the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage are also indispensable components of the Expo. The "Flavors of Hunan" culinary culture themed exhibition gathers numerous renowned Hunan cuisine restaurants, master chefs, and signature dishes, allowing visitors to savor authentic Hunan flavors all in one place. Meanwhile, the launch and promotion event for the "Shu Yao Tong + Joint Digital Assets" platform was successfully held. Centered on three major intangible cultural heritages—Xiang embroidery, Liling underglaze multicolor porcelain, and Xilankapu (Tujia brocade)—the platform comprehensively demonstrates the entire process of digital rights confirmation and circulation for intangible cultural heritage works, providing an innovative pathway for the digital preservation and commercial development of traditional cultural assets.
It is reported that this Expo is being held concurrently and at the same venue as the 5th Malanshan Digital Culture Industry Carnival, with events running until August 23. During the Expo, a series of regular activities will also be held, including the Sanxiang Silver Age Cultural and Arts Fitness Carnival, the "River and Sky in Evening Snow" promenade-style immersive Hunan cultural aesthetic parade, and the "Shop Smart, Play Hard in Hunan" cultural tourism consumption carnival. As one of the largest, most commercially successful, and most innovative professional cultural tourism exhibitions in central China, the Hunan Cultural Tourism Expo continues to contribute a dynamic force to the high-quality development of the national cultural tourism industry.