THE «LIYUE EFFECT»: LEVERAGING GENSHIN IMPACT FOR CULTURAL TOURISM TO CHINA

Examining the influence of video games on location perception and travel motivation is made possible by the worldwide phenomenon known as Genshin Impact. This study paper is going to examine the role that the game’s Liyue region – which was painstakingly created using geographical and cultural aspects from China – plays as a virtual destination marketing tool. This paper illustrates Liyue’s crucial role in boosting China’s perceived appeal and encouraging travel among its enormous international player base by analyzing its representation (landscapes, architecture, traditions) and observing player discourse (social media, travel trends). The results provide information about how well Liyue constructs an engaging cognitive and affective destination image. This research wraps off by going over important strategic ramifications for Chinese Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), such as potential partnerships, the creation of themed products, authenticity control, and utilizing this digital interaction to promote the expansion of cultural tourism in a sustainable way. Video games are powerful new forces in modern destination marketing techniques, as this case demonstrates.