TJRIA announces two initiatives for the 2026 China Culture and Tourism Industry Expo
2026-08-20 · Machine translation; headline edited
2026 China Culture and Tourism Industry Expo
Official announcement! The Tianjin Robot Industry Association is deeply involved in the 2026 China Culture and Tourism Industry Expo, with two major events set to debut.
Humanoid robots, quadrupedal robotic dogs, drones, exoskeletons, pool‑side entertainment robots… As robots truly enter the cultural and tourism sectors, what kind of new experiences will they create?
The answer will be revealed in Tianjin in September.
On August 20, a press conference was held for the 2026 China Culture and Tourism Industry Expo. At the meeting, it was announced that this year’s expo will be held from September 3 to 6 at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center, under the theme “Deepening the Integration of Culture and Tourism for a Smart‑Driven Better Life.” The event will showcase new business forms, models, and settings in the cultural and tourism industries, highlighting emerging trends in digital and intelligent cultural‑tourism development.
At the press conference for the Culture and Tourism Expo
The press conference announced plans for the Tianjin Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau and TJRIA to create a “Future Culture and Tourism Experience Hall,” hold a conference on AI-enabled innovation in culture and tourism, and arrange cooperation agreements between tourism operators and technology providers.
Around this theme, the Tianjin Robot Industry Association will organize 14 robotics and technology companies to exhibit collectively, and will join forces with the Tianjin Creative Industries Association to host the AI Digital Intelligence Cultural Tourism Industry Innovation and Development Conference.
From “watching robots” to “experiencing robots,” and now to fostering genuine collaboration between technology companies and cultural‑tourism settings—a cross‑sectoral integration of “robots and culture & tourism” is about to unfold in Tianjin.
PART 01 14 Companies Gather at the “Future Cultural Tourism Experience Hall”
This year’s expo has designated “smart technology” as one of its five key highlights and established a thematic exhibition area for new cultural and tourism business models, showcasing innovative applications of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, VR/AR, 5G, and big data in cultural and tourism settings.
Among these initiatives, the Tianjin Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, in collaboration with the Tianjin Robot Industry Association, is developing a “Future Cultural and Tourism Experience Hall,” which will serve as an immersive space where robotics and artificial intelligence technologies converge with cultural and tourism settings.
The Future Cultural and Tourism Experience Hall will feature a concentrated showcase of humanoid robots, pool entertainment robots, drones, exoskeleton robots, quadrupedal robotic dogs, and other smart technology products.
Unlike traditional technology exhibition areas, the “Future Cultural and Tourism Experience Hall” does not merely showcase robotic products; instead, it places greater emphasis on cultural and tourism settings and immersive on-site experiences.
Focusing on application settings such as scenic areas, cultural and museum venues, cultural tourism districts, theme parks, and outdoor leisure spaces, exhibiting companies will showcase the potential of robotics and intelligent technologies in cultural and tourism scenarios, including interactive entertainment, visitor services, smart operations, and distinctive experiential offerings.
A dedicated robot performance and experience zone will also be set up on site, with interactive robot shows and activities organized at different times throughout the exhibition, bringing robots to life beyond static displays.
Future Cultural and Tourism Experience Hall Design Rendering
Visitors can experience close-up, interactive engagements with robots, while tourism and cultural‑heritage attractions, venues, and operators can gain a clearer understanding of how these technologies can solve specific challenges and create new consumer experiences.
This space serves both as an experience hall and as a showcase for robots exploring applications in the cultural and tourism sectors.
PART 02 AI Digital and Intelligent Cultural Tourism Industry Innovation and Development Conference
In addition to the "Future Travel Experience Hall", the AI Digital Intelligence Travel Industry Innovation and Development Conference will also be held during the exhibition.
The event is co-hosted by the Tianjin Robot Industry Association and the Tianjin Creative Industries Association, and will further evolve from showcasing and hands-on experiences to industry exchanges and project matchmaking.
Currently, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics are rapidly transforming the cultural and tourism industries. From visitor services to scenic-area operations, from interactive experiences to smart management, and from content creation to new consumption scenarios, the integration of “AI in culture and tourism” and “robots in culture and tourism” is continuously opening up new application spaces.
However, for technology companies, whether a product can truly enter the cultural and tourism market ultimately hinges on identifying suitable application scenarios; for scenic areas, it is equally important to find technologies and solutions that align with their specific needs and can be effectively implemented in operations.
The conference will bring together representatives and experts from the cultural and tourism sectors, as well as companies specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence, to exchange insights on topics such as leveraging digital and intelligent technologies to empower the cultural and tourism industry, developing new cultural and tourism scenarios, and fostering robotics applications and industrial collaboration.
Member companies of the association, including UBTECH, 伽利略 and 云圣智能 (official English names awaiting verification), will showcase their offerings at the conference, demonstrating how new technologies are being applied in cultural and tourism settings across robotics, artificial intelligence, and intelligent applications.
The conference will also further facilitate supply-and-demand matching between scenic areas and technology companies, organize the signing of co‑construction agreements between them, establish collaborative partnerships around specific application scenarios, and help move a batch of technological products from “demonstration” to “deployment.”
PART 03 From showcasing robots to co-creating new cultural and tourism experiences
For the robotics industry, identifying large-scale application scenarios has become a crucial factor in driving further growth.
The culture and tourism industry offers a wide range of real-world applications. Scenic areas, museums, cultural venues, commercial districts, theme parks, hotels, cultural‑tourism complexes, and even outdoor tourism spaces are all generating new demands for smart technologies.
Can humanoid robots become a new interactive role in scenic spots? Can quadruped robot dogs participate in scenic cruises and special performances? In addition to aerial photography, what new content can drones create for cultural tourism projects? Can exoskeletons bring new experiences for outdoor tourism? Can swimming pool entertainment robots become new consumer products for resort hotels and water entertainment projects?
It is difficult to find answers to these questions only by discussing them in the laboratory. The best way is to let the technology really enter the scene.
This is also the key rationale behind the Tianjin Robot Industry Association’s participation in this year’s China Cultural Tourism Industry Expo.
The association aims to leverage a national-level cultural and tourism industry platform to showcase robotic companies’ innovative technologies, products, and solutions to the cultural and tourism sector, while also conveying the genuine needs of scenic areas and cultural‑tourism operators back to these companies.
From product showcases to interactive experiences; from exchanging needs to matching supply with demand; and further to co‑creating use cases and collaborating on projects.
SAVE THE DATE
From September 3 to 6, meet at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center.
The 2026 China Culture and Tourism Industry Expo is hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and co-organized by the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Beijing Xinglv International Media Co., Ltd.
This edition of the expo utilizes 10 exhibition halls, with a total exhibition area of 100,000 square meters, and is held concurrently with the “1+18” series of events. At present, 20 countries and regions, 29 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and several directly affiliated units of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have confirmed their participation, and nearly 2,000 high-quality cultural and tourism enterprises will gather in Tianjin.
2026.09.03-09.06, Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center: The “Future Cultural and Tourism Experience Hall” and the AI-powered Digital and Intelligent Cultural and Tourism Industry Innovation and Development Conference—two major events are set to make their debut.
This time, we’re not just showcasing robots.
We aim to bring robotics into the cultural and tourism sectors, enabling technology to find suitable applications and fostering collaboration through those applications.
See you in Meijiang in September!
Tianjin Robot Industry Association
