From March 30 to April 2, the 2026 Hubei Provincial Exchange Activity for Tourist Attractions and Resorts, hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hubei Province, was held in Yichang City. More than 500 people attended the event, including directors in charge of culture and tourism bureaus across the province, principal persons in charge of 5A and 4A-level tourist attractions, as well as those of national and provincial-level tourist resorts. Peng Lei, Deputy Curator of Yifu Museum of China University of Geosciences, participated in the activity.
The exchange and promotion event consisted of expert lectures, on-site teaching, a financial matchmaking conference, a talent matchmaking conference, and a product matchmaking conference for Hubei’s tourist attractions and resorts.
During the expert lecture session, Li Baiwen, a professor at Beijing Union University, delivered a lecture themed Current Situation, Problems and Trends in the Development of A-level Tourist Attractions and Resorts in China. Combining the national cultural and tourism development landscape, he analyzed development opportunities and challenges and interpreted industry trends, providing professional guidance for participants to break development bottlenecks and plan future paths. Zhu Minggang, Editor-in-Chief of People’s Network Online Public Opinion Magazine, gave a lecture on Public Opinion Ecology Related to Culture and Tourism and Concepts & Skills for Handling Public Opinion Incidents. With typical cases, he explained the identification, handling and guidance of public opinion, addressed pain points in public opinion response, and helped improve emergency response capabilities. Participants stated that the courses were practical and relevant, filling gaps in public opinion knowledge, clarifying the industry’s development direction, and providing strong support for the high-quality development of culture and tourism.
In the on-site teaching session, attendees visited the 809 Micro-Resort Town to explore how old industrial plants have been transformed into popular micro-resort destinations and learn from the successful practice of revitalizing industrial heritage. At the 0.618 Service Area along the G348 Scenic Highway, they experienced the effectiveness of the integrated development of "transportation + tourism" and learned how upgraded transportation infrastructure has driven the growth of cultural and tourism industries. At the Three Gorges RV Campground, they focused on the standardized and distinctive development of the camping economy and gained practical references for fostering new business forms. Adopting the model of "on-site observation + expert interpretation + interactive exchange", the activity achieved an in-depth integration of theory and practice, enabling participants to directly grasp the operation logic and innovative ideas of cultural and tourism projects, and effectively translating learning outcomes into development momentum.
During the matchmaking conferences, the financial matchmaking conference helped solve financing difficulties. Eleven banks, insurance companies and investment institutions gathered on the Chufeng Hao cruise ship to promote specialized financial products such as loans for attraction construction, cultural and tourism industry insurance, and equity investment. The talent matchmaking conference injected intellectual support into the industry: 21 universities including China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Hubei University held face-to-face exchanges with 72 key cultural and tourism enterprises including Bailihuang Tourism Group and Mulan Grassland Scenic Area, with a total of 582 job vacancies on offer. The product matchmaking conference stimulated market development momentum: 61 scenic areas released their demands, planning to introduce 163 new products, new business forms and new scenario projects. Meanwhile, 12 national and provincial product service providers were invited to showcase specialized services including smart cultural and tourism systems, immersive performance equipment, and cultural and creative product development.
Peng Lei stated that the tourist attraction exchange and promotion event was a great success. It not only built a high-quality platform for cultural and tourism practitioners across the province to learn, exchange and connect resources, but also achieved multiple goals of "empowerment through theory, reference from practice, and resource connection". As one of the few national 4A-level tourist attractions among universities nationwide, Yifu Museum of China University of Geosciences will translate what it has learned and gained from the event into practical development outcomes, continuously explore new forms of presentation, steadily improve the museum’s management and service capabilities as well as its core competitiveness, and contribute to popularizing earth science knowledge and enhancing the quality of people’s spiritual and cultural life.
