Ahead of 2023 International Museum Day, Digital to Asia, an Italian digital marketing agency focused on Chinese market, and Way Experience, an Italian production firm that creates AR and VR immersive experiences for the culture and tourism sectors, launched an innovative virtual tour featuring Leonardo da Vinci’s art on Alipay, the digital open platform in China.
What can Chinese art lovers expect from the virtual tour?
The tour, with a 360-degree view powered by immersive 3D technologies, allows Chinese art lovers to see and learn about Leonardo da Vinci’s works displayed across different museums around the world into a single virtual museum. Italian designers and creatives took inspiration from European Renaissance architecture for the look and feel of the virtual museum.
The virtual museum also includes a Chinese language guide of Leonardo da Vinci’s life and his most iconic paintings like; the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper and inventions like the flying machine, collected from Codex Atlanticus. Chinese art lovers can purchase the tour through a mini program, named Yunshang Mibao, on Alipay. The virtual museum is the latest example of how tech is being used to bring history and culture to life for a new generation of consumers.
By partnering with Alipay, Digital to Asia and Way Experience are able to offer Chinese art lovers with a unique and immersive experience that would not be possible otherwise.
What are the thoughts of stakeholders on the event?
“Emerging tech enables us create virtual places and travel inside them to discover humanity’s greatest masterpieces. We are happy to partner with Alipay to bring sight-seeing experiences to Chinese consumers. Together with Digital to Asia, we created a virtual tour of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpieces in a Renaissance-like museum with inspiration drawn from various places that represent Italian history,” said Marco Pizzoni, co-founder and CEO of Way Experience.
“As an agency specializing in digital marketing strategies for Asian markets, we always stay ahead of the curve,” commented Giuliana Zagarella, General Manager of Digital to Asia.
“Given mobile-savvy Chinese consumers’ open attitude towards innovative experiences, we have been working with Italian partner Way Experience and leading platform Alipay for the past several months to provide users with a Leonard da Vinci themed virtual tour that they have never experienced before. Alipay’s deep connection with users and the availability of various digital tools on the platform make it the perfect platform partner for us in China.”
“Digital technology is making it possible for people to transcend the limitations of time and space and experience different cultures and art from all over the world. As a digital open platform, Alipay is committed to supporting businesses to better engage with digital savvy audiences,” said Nicole Wang, Alipay’s digital solution expert for the museum industry.
What does the virtual tour mean for the industry?
The culture and tourism industries are becoming increasingly digital, with several global companies now using more digital solutions to create new experiences for their customers. According to a recent survey from Accenture, senior travel industry executives believe that technology is becoming more important in developing long-term business success.
By the end of 2022, over 2,000 museums had used Alipay to improve digital operations and connect with museum enthusiasts, particularly younger, mobile-savvy generations. These museums leverage digital tools offered on Alipay, like mini-programs, lifestyle accounts, live streaming, and blockchain-based digital collectibles to improve engagement with visitors.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Tourism Trends and Policies report in 2022, “Digital tech presents wide-reaching opportunities to facilitate increased reach to consumers, productivity, and the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive future, delivering benefits to micro and SMBs and local communities and to visitors.”
