Zhejiang launches AI travel assistant to help visitors to the province

A new digital platform aimed to enhance the travel experience for inbound international visitors was launched on Thursday at the headquarters of the World Tourism Alliance in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Known as Zhejiang Travel, it is China's first AI-powered all-in-one smart service platform for inbound tourism, according to Chen Guangsheng, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism.

"The platform was developed based on a large-scale AI model tailored for the travel industry," Chen explained.

The platform is available on WeChat and Alipay. It incorporates multiple functions to provide a wide range of features for international travelers.

With a single travel code, tourists can book hotels, make payments, and use public transportation in the province. The app can even create customized itineraries after users input travel dates, group size, preferences, and budget.

Kim Su-young from South Korea is among the first international travelers to try the platform. The AI assistant generated a detailed two-night, three-day Hangzhou itinerary, complete with a Longjing village tea-tasting, a Southern Song Imperial Street food guide, and a Lingyin Temple tour. She praised the app's translation function for helping navigate language barriers.

As a major tourist destination, Zhejiang has received a growing number of international travelers. In 2024, figures from provincial authorities show that the number of foreign nationals entering Zhejiang via visa-free entry reached 130,900, surging by 873 percent year-on-year and accounting for 32.7 percent of all foreign arrivals.