Digital to Asia, an Italian digital marketing agency specializing in the Chinese market, and Way Experience, an Italian firm offering AR and VR experiences for the cultural and tourism sectors, have jointly launched an innovative virtual tour of Leonardo da Vinci’s art. The tour is available on Alipay just in time for the 2023 International Museum Day.
The virtual tour, offering a 360-degree view powered by immersive 3D technologies, allows Chinese art enthusiasts to appreciate da Vinci’s works from various museums around the world in a single virtual museum. The design of this virtual museum borrows heavily from European Renaissance architecture, an effort spearheaded by Italian designers and creatives.
Also included is a Chinese-language guide presenting an overview of da Vinci’s life, iconic paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and inventions such as the flying machine from Codex Atlanticus.
The virtual tour can be purchased via the Yunshang Mibao mini-program on the Alipay platform. This integration with Alipay underlines the growing trend of using technology to engage consumers with history and culture. The partnership between Alipay, Digital to Asia, and Way Experience facilitates a unique and immersive experience for Chinese art lovers.
Marco Pizzoni, co-founder and CEO of Way Experience, expressed his enthusiasm about the initiative, saying, “Emerging technologies enable us to create virtual spaces and explore humanity’s greatest masterpieces within them.”
We have seen an increasing digitalization of the culture and tourism industries over the past three years, with firms leveraging digital solutions to curate novel experiences for their clientele. An Accenture survey revealed that senior travel industry executives view technology as crucial for long-term business success.
Meanwhile, the OECD’s Tourism Trends and Policies report in 2022 noted, “Digital technologies present 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 small businesses and local communities as well as to visitors.”
According to a company release, as of the end of 2022, more than 2,000 museums have adopted the Alipay platform to use a variety of digital tools and services, including mini-programs, lifestyle accounts, livestreaming, and blockchain-based digital collectibles and connect with younger, tech-savvy consumers.
