Meituan, Pinduoduo Launch Live Streaming Features to Promote Tourism for Labor Day Holiday

The Chinese superapp Meituan has rolled out live streaming features on its platform to promote traveling and provide training to tenants, Tech Planet reported on Tuesday. E-commerce platform Pinduoduo has also launched a series of virtual travel via live broadcasts to promote tourist destinations in China. 

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By searching “Tour via Livestream” on Meituan App, users can join any live broadcast session about destinations they are interested in. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, West Lake in Hangzhou and Yellow Crane Tower of Wuhan are among the top places with most viewers joining the virtual tours. 

Meituan Tickets also launched a “Safe Travel” campaign for the upcoming Labor Day Holiday to promote tourism in Wuhan, the former epicenter of coronavirus which lifted the 2-month lockdown on April 8. The platform works with Wuhan’s East Lake Ocean Amusement Park, Flying Bird World, Haichang Polar Ocean Park, Yellow Crane Tower and Mulan Grassland to spur tourism as the epidemic is grinding to a halt. 

Tourism is among the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic. China Tourist Attractions Association (CTAA) estimated an 80% drop in revenue for tourist destinations in China. 

Duo Duo Live, the live streaming section of Pinduoduo, held a 7-hour live streaming session for an ancient town in Hunan Province on April 26 with over 350,000 people joining the “virtual tour”. 

Pinduoduo&GOME (Source: Pinduoduo)
(Source: Pinduoduo)

Furong Town, known for its Tujia ethnic traditions, held a welcome ceremony on Duo Duo Live demonstrating its ethnic dances. The town mayor took viewers to “visit” the ancient town’s famous waterfall and old relics, while introducing local cuisine and souvenirs. He also offered “buy 2 get 1 free” discounts for tickets sold on Pinduoduo’s travel page. He said the interactions on Duo Duo Live will bring visitors back when the pandemic ends. 

Pinduoduo will launch a series of live streaming virtual tours to promote tourist destinations in China, the company said on Tuesday.