Digital management system puts Dunhuang's camel rides on fast track

As tens of thousands of tourists flock to Dunhuang, Gansu province, during the summer peak season, keeping crowds moving smoothly across the desert landscape has become an increasingly complex task. More and more, artificial intelligence is helping lighten the load on personnel on the ground.

At the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area, camel rides across the dunes are among the city's signature attractions. During peak travel seasons, however, surging visitor numbers once left tourists waiting up to 60 minutes.

To ease the bottleneck, the scenic area launched its Desert Camel Ride digital management system in 2025. Visitors can now reserve camel rides in advance through a mini program, online travel platforms or self-service kiosks, eliminating long lines.

The platform digitally manages ticketing, reservations, camel assignments and boarding procedures. It automatically matches visitors with camel teams and displays real-time boarding information on electronic screens.

"Since its launch, the intelligent system has cut waiting times by more than half during peak periods, making the experience much smoother and reducing visitors' frustration," said Li Xiaoqing, deputy director of the service center.

She added that tour guides have also welcomed the system, saying it has made camel ride operations more efficient and orderly.

Handlers also use a dedicated mobile app that notifies them when to bring their camels to the boarding area, rather than waiting with the animals in holding areas throughout the day.

"That means fewer camels have to remain in the waiting area for extended periods, which not only improves efficiency but also helps reduce the environmental impact in the scenic area," Li said.

Along the camel ride route, camel-shaped traffic lights — an innovation unique to the scenic area — guide camel caravans safely across intersections while doubling as a popular photo spot.

"The traffic lights help keep both camels and tourists moving in an orderly way, and everyone follows the rules," visitor Mu Xinyue said."It's also become one of the most interesting places to take photos."

AI is also playing a growing role at the nearby Mogao Grottoes.

An intelligent command center analyzes reservation data, visitor flows and environmental conditions to optimize cave openings, tour routes and visitor distribution.

"We've moved from managing crowds after they form to preventing congestion before it happens," said Lei Zhengguang, director of the cultural promotion department at the Dunhuang Academy.

He said the platform also coordinates tour guide scheduling, shuttle bus operations and ticket reservations, helping balance public access with heritage conservation.

The adoption of AI is expanding well beyond Dunhuang.

Huangshan Mountain in Anhui province uses AI to predict congestion and recommend personalized routes, while West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, directs visitors toward less-crowded attractions.

In Guizhou province, the Xijiang Qianhu Miao village introduced an AI platform for ticket verification, multilingual services and personalized recommendations. According to Chinese online travel platform Mafengwo, AI-powered ticket verification has improved efficiency by up to 10 times, while complaint response times have fallen from 48 hours to four hours.

Yang Yanfeng, director of the online tourism research center at Beijing Union University, said tourism is particularly well suited to generative AI because standardized services, such as trip planning and ticket booking, make intelligent assistants both practical and effective.

He acknowledged that challenges remain, including high development costs, fragmented data systems and concerns over data security.

For Li, however, the rise of AI has come at the right time.

She believes scenic areas should embrace the technology to deliver better services, improve operational efficiency and enable smarter management.

Contact the writers at huyumeng@chinadaily.com.cn