Yu Dunde: Dual-Drive Activation of New Quality Productivity in Culture and Tourism

Jiangsu Economic Reporter Hong Shuyi

In the provincial government work report, “new quality productivity” was frequently mentioned. Today, looking across Jiangsu, new quality productivity is shining brightly in various industries. “The connotation of new quality productivity in the cultural and tourism industry is rich, and an important aspect is promoting high-quality development of cultural and tourism services through technological innovation and industrial innovation,” said Yu Dunde, a deputy to the Provincial People’s Congress and CEO of Nanjing Tuniu Technology Co., Ltd. (Tuniu Travel Network).

Yu Dunde told reporters that in the realm of technological innovation, Tuniu has continued to strengthen system research and development in recent years, aiming to enhance user travel experiences and satisfaction. Last year, the development of vertical applications of large models accelerated significantly: in early April, Tuniu launched the “AI Assistant Little Niu,” an intelligent travel concierge, enabling one-stop services such as intelligent search, automatic price comparison, personalized recommendations, and bundled bookings; on April 21, “AI Assistant Little Niu” was officially open-sourced; in July, the filing for generative artificial intelligence services was completed… “Next, we will continue to deepen the iterative development of ‘AI Assistant Little Niu’ in the field of intelligent travel services, continuously providing users with smarter, more efficient, more transparent, and more user-friendly booking experiences.”

Industrial innovation has made travel products more appealing to consumers. Yu Dunde explained that in response to the increasingly diverse needs of tourists, on one hand, Tuniu’s self-operated “Niu Ren Special Line” quality has been continuously upgraded, focusing on in-depth and特色体验 of popular destinations, with a significant increase in private groups and small tours, and ongoing expansion into rare resources and niche, emerging destinations. Meanwhile, destinations emphasizing high cost performance, such as “Niu Ren Strict Selection,” are also rapidly expanding. On the other hand, starting from a “customer-centric” approach, Tuniu has continuously strengthened customer rights protection by全面升级“0购物” (completely eliminating shopping commissions), improving the quality of travel products and the user travel experience. Notably, in line with the evolving consumption habits of tourists, Tuniu has also made efforts in “Travel + Live Streaming,” with the proportion of customers booking travel products via live streaming reaching approximately 20%.

As a tourism enterprise rooted in Jiangsu, and as a leader in the industry, Yu Dunde shared recent innovation practices and thoughts on the future of the industry at this conference. He actively proposed suggestions, advocating for encouraging the promotion of technological成果转化 (technological achievements transformation) through open source methods. “The ‘Law of the People’s Republic of China on Scientific and Technological Progress’ mentions ‘improving a high-efficiency, collaborative, and open national innovation system’ and ‘cultivating and developing a unified, open, interconnected, and competitively orderly technology market.’ The ‘Jiangsu Province Regulations on Promoting the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements (Draft for Revision)’ also mention ‘openness and sharing.’ This provides a制度依据 (systematic basis) and a favorable environment for encouraging the transformation of scientific and technological成果转化 through open source approaches.” In his view, for Jiangsu, a major manufacturing province, promoting the transformation of scientific and technological成果转化 via open source methods can help improve overall efficiency, lower innovation barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises, and reduce redundant efforts in “reinventing the wheel.” For example, during the development of “AI Assistant Little Niu,” the project drew on the wisdom and experience of open source projects, utilizing open source large models such as DeepSeek and Tongyi Qianwen, with application code openly shared and synchronized. “Open source makes ‘AI Assistant Little Niu’ a collaborative platform where developers can freely explore, experiment, and innovate, jointly pushing the boundaries of AI applications and fostering continuous technological advancement.”