From April 25 to 27, the 11th Sichuan International Travel Expo was held in Emeishan City, Leshan City. With the theme of“Cultural Tourism Integration for a Better Life,” this year’s event covered a total exhibition area of over 30,000 square meters. It attracted foreign guests from 30 countries and regions, nearly 300 exhibitors, and over 60 domestic and international buyers. The expo showcased new cultural and tourism business models and technologies, resulting in a total value of signed tourism projects reaching 8.88 billion yuan.

Leshan Pavilion Draws a Crowded Audience [Photo by Xu Zhen]

The Expo focused on the integration of "Cultural Tourism + Technology," introducing multiple innovations. At the opening ceremony, Sichuan unveiled 10 new low-altitude tourism routes, including the “Leshan Giant Buddha-Emei Mountain” route, which connected two World Heritage Sites through a 20-minute low-altitude flight for the first time. The exhibition hall featured a low-altitude flight zone that showcased technologies for sightseeing and rescue technologies. The Leshan Pavilion utilized LED flexible screens to create an XR virtual experience, allowing visitors to “travel” virtually to the foot of the Giant Buddha and the Golden Summit of Mount Emei. The Forbidden City Museum made its debut at the expo, showcasing cultural relics through mixed reality technology, digital cultural products, and parent-child activities. The Cultural Heritage and Creative Exhibition Zone gathered innovative displays, including the Sanxingdui robot dog and glasses-free 3D cultural relics, demonstrating the cross-sector collaborations between cultural heritage and modern technology.

During the Opening Ceremony, eight cultural and tourism projects were signed, covering various fields, such as tourism resorts, immersive performances, and rural revitalization. Notably, projects like the “Mount Emei Light and Cultural Tourism Resort” will contribute to the upgrade of Leshan’s cultural tourism. Additionally, the projects on digital tourism in Ziyang and the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor Music Base will drive regional resource integration. Throughout the exhibition, over 60 domestic and international travel agents conducted more than 100 professional discussions, with an estimated total value of agreements exceeding RMB 20 million.

The Expo Draws Crowds [Photo by Xu Zhen]

During the expo, Leshan distributed cultural tourism vouchers and launched the “Leisurely Sichuan, Explore Tianfu” consumption season in collaboration with 21 prefecture-level cities and autonomous prefectures across the province, attracting tens of thousands of tourists. On the public open day, interactive experiences such as AI sugar painting and exoskeleton climbing equipment became popular attractions. As a gateway to Sichuan’s cultural tourism openness, the Expo provided a platform for global businesses to showcase, negotiate, and cooperate through six core activities, ten professional exhibition zones, and ten supporting activities.

While the exhibition may have concluded, cooperation continues without end. The Sichuan International Travel Expo will continue to serve as a bridge for global cultural tourism cooperation with an open and innovative approach, providing strong support for Leshan’s development as a world-class tourism destination.