A tourist views azalea flowers in Huangling Village in Anshan, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

Many tourist attractions have reopened across China as the coronavirus epidemic ebbs. As the country now prepares for the upcoming five-day May Day holiday from May 1, local authorities have stepped up their efforts, leveraging high-tech and digital instruments to prevent the virus from spreading and to boost local tourism, one of the industries hardest hit by the disease.

Although the central government has made it clear that cross-border and cross-province tourism will not be resumed for the time being, local passenger flows are widely expected to surge during the holidays. Preventing the spread of the virus in such a situation is now a test for local authorities, experts say.

Most scenic spots across the country will implement obligatory reservation schemes and ensure capacities do not exceed 30 percent. It has also been requested that visitors make travel plans in advance, booking their trips ahead of time by phone or on tourist attractions' official websites and apps to reduce face-to-face contact.

Most indoor areas at tourist attractions will remain closed to tourists because of coronavirus infection risks.

Local authorities are also ramping up efforts to build "digital tourist attractions" to better track and detect COVID-19 cases. In East China's Anhui Province, all tourist attractions with a 4A rating or above will have to connect their video surveillance signals to the provincial video surveillance system.

"Black technology" is also being used. Security personnel in Xixi Wetland Park Hongyuan, a 5A-level tourist spot in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, wear special smart glasses equipped with infrared temperature measurement modules to check tourists' temperatures while patrolling the park, according to media reports.

The glasses can automatically scan the body temperatures of tourists in the wearer's field of view, and display them in front of the wearer's eyes in the form of thermal imaging. If a person with an abnormal body temperature is detected, the glasses will automatically alert the wearer and record the person's information. The product receives technical support from Rokid.

Traditional economic activity models require close contact, while digital technology can help overcome the obstacle of distance. It therefore not only plays a very important role in the fight against the virus, but will also be of great significance in the subsequent economic recovery and economic transformation, analysts said.