Technological boost

Themed on smart tourism, this year's CITM was focused on boosting tourism with the help of technology.

Yunnan was one of the earliest provinces in the country to develop a phone app for tourism services. The GO-Yunnan app has served more than 210 million tourists, featured over 50,000 pieces of information on tourism resources, and significantly brought down tourist complaints since its launch.

"Digital technology can promote the growth of culture and tourism by allowing tourists to experience culture and history in a virtual setting through technologies," said Zhang Hui, director of the modern tourism academy of Beijing Jiaotong University.

Online platforms have also jumped on the tech bandwagon. Mafengwo, a travel service and social networking platform, has developed a smartphone app to promote suburban destinations for young people to visit and relax during weekends. Ever since its market entry, the app has grown in popularity among youngsters.

Ancient towns in Yunnan's Lijiang and Baoshan cities have also adopted technologies such as real-time alert systems and artificial intelligence to manage things, allowing the local authorities to oversee tourist flows.