Digital Transformation of Beijing’s Cultural Tourism: A Catalyst for Enhancing Beijing’s International Image in the Digital Age

Faced with the development pressures of historic cities amidst globalization and digitalization, Beijing has explored a unique path of digital cultural tourism integration. This paper argues that the essence of the “Beijing model” is a strategic institutional innovation, which stimulates technological innovation and enterprise vitality through policy levers to form a coupled driving mechanism that jointly promotes industrial transformation. The study finds that the convergence of digital platforms, immersive technologies, and the digitization of cultural heritage not only restructures tourists’ perceptions and experiences but also forces adaptive changes in urban governance models. Therefore, this paper argues that the enlightening value of this model far exceeds its specific measures, and instead lies in providing a strategic thinking framework of “contextual adaptation”, offering theoretical reference and practical possibilities for historic and cultural cities facing similar challenges.