China Bound • Beijing' English-language smart travel platform launched

BEIJING, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

On Sept 9, China Daily and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism jointly launched the "China Bound • Beijing" English-language smart travel platform at the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development in Beijing.

"China Bound • Beijing" is a city-level platform under China Daily's "China Bound" English-language smart travel platform. It includes an English-language website (www.chinabound.cn/beijing), Beijing city pages on the Alipay mini-program and the WeChat mini-program. The platform aims to provide overseas visitors to Beijing with one-stop services covering the entire travel journey, from finding inspiration and planning itineraries to getting around the city with ease. It offers international visitors a convenient way to discover Beijing, a city with more than 3,000 years of history, while experiencing its unique charm firsthand.

Zhu Baoxia, deputy publisher of China Daily, and Zheng Fang, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, officially launched the platform. Guo Huaigang, secretary general of World Tourism Cities Federation and the director general of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, presided over the conference, which runs through Sept 11.

The "China Bound • Beijing" English website features nine sections: "Uniquely in Beijing", "Know Before You Go", "Taste of Beijing", "Trending Places", "What to Buy", "Where to Stay", "Festivals & Events", "Countryside Getaways" and "Living Traditions". Covering everything from Beijing's rich cultural heritage and everyday city life to travel information and accommodation, contemporary trends and traditional craftsmanship, the website presents a vibrant portrait of Beijing where the ancient and modern flourish in splendor. It is optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, automatically adapting to users' devices for a seamless browsing experience.

Both the Alipay and WeChat "China Bound" mini-programs feature dedicated Beijing pages. Users can search for "ChinaBound" or "游在中国" on Alipay or WeChat to enter the mini-program, then select the "Beijing" page to explore information on Beijing's culture and tourism. The mini-programs also provide a range of convenient services, including itinerary planning, flight and train ticket bookings, accommodation reservations, smart translation, transportation, currency conversion, and online payment.

To better meet travelers' individual needs, the "China Bound • Beijing" platform has also introduced an AI assistant. By clicking "Kuki", the panda AI assistant of "China Bound", users can start an interactive Q&A service and receive itinerary planning, information searches, guided tours and intelligent travel assistance — creating a personalized smart guide experience that is "thoughtfully by your side anytime, anywhere".

The launch was witnessed by Sima Hong, vice-mayor of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and the executive vice-chair of the WTCF Council; Olaf McKay, mayor of Valletta, Malta; Ben Montgomery, vice-chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association; Zheng Hao, vice-president and secretary-general of the World Tourism Alliance; Liu Zhaohui, vice-president of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance; as well as city representatives, international travel trade representatives, and diplomatic and consular officials from more than 50 countries and regions.

With China introducing a series of measures — including visa-free transit policies — inbound tourism to Beijing has continued to gather momentum. According to a report on Beijing's economic and social development during the first seven months of 2026, the number of inbound visitors to Beijing and their tourism spending surged by 32.4 percent and 39.7 percent year-on-year, respectively.

China Daily is actively fulfilling its mission to "bridging China and the world". It is committed to developing "China Bound" as a smart international tourism service platform and helping remove barriers faced by overseas travelers visiting China.

Moving forward, "China Bound • Beijing" will work with cultural and tourism authorities at all levels in Beijing, cultural venues and other related service providers to offer overseas visitors more reliable and high-quality content, more engaging storytelling, and more tangible and convenient travel experiences. By combining smart, precise and thoughtful one-stop services, the platform aims to build an important bridge for international visitors — from their first glimpse of Beijing to a deeper understanding of the city — sharing Beijing's stories with the world and contributing to greater cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between China and the rest of the world.