In the early morning, smoke rises from the Tujia stilted buildings deep in the Wuling Mountains; in the afternoon, cruise ships on the Yangtze River's Three Gorges sound their horns; as night falls, the lights of Hongyadong illuminate one by one—these scattered fragments of cultural tourism across Hubei, Chongqing, and western Hubei are being connected and activated by an invisible force. At the core of this force is a regional cultural tourism collaboration project named "Youyou Cao E-Yu," and its engine is big data.

"We used to say 'good wine needs no bush,' but in this era of information explosion, even the most beautiful scenery can be drowned out," admitted the head of a cultural tourism investment group in western Hubei, the project's lead organization. For a long time, although the border areas of Hubei and Chongqing boast top-tier resources such as Shennongjia, the Yangtze River's Three Gorges, and the Enshi Grand Canyon, administrative divisions and data silos have made it difficult to form synergies. "Tourists know about the Three Gorges, but not the Tujia villages along its banks; they know about Shennongjia, but are unaware that the equally stunning red leaves of neighboring Chongqing's Wushan are just as breathtaking. This fragmentation is the greatest waste."

The turning point began three years ago. Against the backdrop of both the "Digital China" initiative and the development of the "Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle," relevant departments and enterprises in Hubei and Chongqing began exploring cross-regional data sharing. The Youyou Cao E-Yu project emerged accordingly, its name symbolizing data as lush green grass connecting Hubei and Chongqing, nourishing the cultural tourism ecosystem. The project's first step was to break down data barriers.

"We integrated three major categories of data sources," explained the project's technical director. "First, government-side data on scenic area visitor flows, transportation, and weather. Second, enterprise-side data on hotel bookings,餐饮消费, and travel agency orders. Third, internet-side data on social media sentiment, search popularity, and tourist trajectories. Through cleaning, desensitization, and fusion, we built a dynamic 'Digital Panorama of Hubei-Chongqing Cultural Tourism.'"

The power of this "panorama" quickly became evident. During last year's National Day Golden Week, the system used real-time data analysis to predict severe congestion for tourist flows from Chongqing's main urban area to Wulong, while capacity at Enshi's Tenglong Cave scenic area still had room to spare. The project team immediately used cooperative platforms to push "peak-avoidance" suggestions and cross-provincial combination itineraries to potential tourists planning their trips. As a result, some tourist flows were successfully diverted to western Hubei, not only alleviating congestion pressure in Chongqing but also increasing revenue for related scenic areas in Enshi by 15% year-on-year.

The deeper transformation lies in product creation. Big data analysis revealed an interesting phenomenon: tourists from the Yangtze River Delta showed strong interest in combination products featuring "Three Gorges + Tujia Culture," while tourists from the Pearl River Delta preferred "secret exploration and natural wellness." Based on this, operators moved beyond simply packaging attractions and, in collaboration with travel agencies from all three regions, launched a series of precisely tailored cross-provincial cultural tourism routes such as "Gorge River Epic: Tujia Code" and "30° North Latitude Mystery Tour," which received enthusiastic market responses.

"Big data has shifted us from 'relying on experience' to 'seeing demand,'"感慨 a frontline manager involved in product design. She gave an example: the system showed that keywords like "cliffside homestays" and "ancient trail hiking" saw a surge in searches among target customer groups on short-video platforms. The project team quickly coordinated with villages in Chongqing's Wushan and Hubei's Enshi to renovate a batch of特色民宿 that符合现代审美, and配套开发了 digital guides for ancient trail hiking. These offerings became instant hits upon launch.

However, the application of data has not been without challenges. Issues like privacy protection, data ownership, and benefit distribution have followed closely. The project team adopted privacy-preserving computation techniques that ensure "data usability without visibility" and established a dynamic distribution mechanism based on data contribution and效益产出. "We are not building a data empire; we are weaving a network for mutual benefit," emphasized the project leader.

Today, the Youyou Cao E-Yu platform has integrated上百个 core cultural tourism elements from the three regions, processing over 1 billion data entries monthly. It serves not only managers and enterprises but also benefits ordinary tourists. A Shanghai tourist who just finished his trip showed his phone to the reporter: "From recommending小众观景位 to reminding me about umbrella rental points at the next ancient town stop, even recommending authentic Hezha (a western Hubei dish) based on my taste—it's like a thoughtful cross-province guide."

From the administrative boundary lines on a map to the flowing lines of data on a screen, the story of Youyou Cao E-Yu is a vivid snapshot of regional collaborative development in the digital age. It proves that when data begins to flow, mountains and rivers no longer form barriers, and landscapes can truly connect into a画卷. This ancient land is using the most cutting-edge bits to重新丈量 and activate its profound cultural tourism heritage.