Abstract
Modern rural tourism is confronted with increased challenges to find customized products for varied visitor needs while traditional processes are burdened by long cycles and limited real-time analysis opportunities. This study examines the use of digital twin technology in customized rural tourist product innovation by case study of a Jiangsu Province location that has been adapting since March 2023. Qualitative field research through eighteen interviews, participant observation, and documentary analysis is noted to reflect four-layered architectural convergence by utilizing 120 IoT sensors producing 2.8 million daily data points makes a significant impact in terms of 72% cycle reduction, portfolios quadrupling, and 64% to 91% accuracy improvement in need-matching. Commercial feasibility is confirmed through economic performance through 37% visitor and 44% revenue augmentation worth ¥41.3 million. Theoretical knowledge of digital twin deployment to tourism service situations is supported by evidence and offers practical guidelines for implementation by destination managers to aim for technology-facilitated competitive advantage.
References
[1] Baroroh, D. K., Santoso, H. B., & Anggrahini, D. (2023). Metaverse tourism: Elements and consequences on tourism experience journey. Journal of Smart Tourism, 3(1), 23–34.
[2] Bekele, H., & Raj, S. (2025). Digitalization and digital transformation in the tourism industry: A bibliometric review and research agenda. Tourism Review, 80(4), 894–913.
[3] de Almeida, D. S., & Boavida-Portugal, I. (2025). Digital twins in tourism: A systematic literature review. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.00002
[4] Florido-Benítez, L. (2024). The use of digital twins to address smart tourist destinations’ future challenges. Platforms, 2(4), 234–254.
[5] Litavniece, L., Kodors, S., Adamoniene, R., & Kijasko, J. (2023). Digital twin: An approach to enhancing tourism competitiveness. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 15(5), 538–548.
[6] Liu, X., Li, M. Y., Ma, Y. M., Gao, T. H., & Yuan, D. N. (2024). Personalized tourism product design focused on tourist expectations and online reviews: An integrated MCDM method. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 188, Article 109860.
[7] Rahmadian, E., Feitosa, D., & Virantina, Y. (2023). Digital twins, big data governance, and sustainable tourism. Ethics and Information Technology, 25(4), Article 61.
[8] Sharma, A. K., & Sharma, R. (2025). Smart tourism in the digital age: Overcoming barriers and unlocking new possibilities. Revista de Gestão, 32(3), 224–237.
[9] Ye, S., Shi, L., Feng, Z., & Hyuk, G. (2025). Toward a smarter, sustainable and satisfying life: Exploring the mechanism of smart rural tourism construction empowering rural revitalization in the area of Yangtze River Delta. Heliyon, 11(6), e11345.
[10] Zhu, W., & Shang, F. (2021). Rural smart tourism under the background of internet plus. Ecological Informatics, 65, Article 101424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101424

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Shanshan Cheng
