The tourism sector in Shanxi province has boomed over the past week as many people visited locations featured in the game.
Dramatic scenes like this clifftop temple are depicted in the wildly popular online game. Photo: Baidu
One such spot is Xiaoxitian Tourist Area in Xixian County, a Buddhist temple dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Ticket sales at the venue have tripled recently, according to Business Daily on the 21st.
The temple's management told media that it plans to sell more tickets through online sales platforms and add more “Black Myth: Wukong” content to the temple's website.
According to Meituan.com, on the day the game was released, searches for tourist attractions in Shanxi Province increased by 156% compared to the same day last year.
The top three most searched destinations were Yungang Grottoes, Fogong Temple Wooden Pagoda in Yanxian County, and Stork Pagoda.
Tourists are flocking to see these real-life scenes featured in the game. Photo: Baidu
Statistics from travel platform Tuniu showed that the number of visitors to Shanxi in August was up 50 percent from July, and hotel bookings more than doubled.
“I'm from Inner Mongolia and I want to see what the places in the game look like in real life,” a tourist visiting the wooden tower told state broadcaster CCTV.
Sun Jiajun, director of Ying county tourism development bureau, said most of the visitors in the past week learned of the wooden pagoda through online games.
Most had travelled from Beijing, Shanghai and eastern China's Zhejiang province, CCTV said.
“Black Myth: Wukong” is based on the novel “Journey to the West,” considered one of the greatest works of ancient China.
The novel is an account of the pilgrimage of the 7th century Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who traveled to India in search of Buddhist scriptures.
During his travels, Xuanzang was guarded by three disciples, of whom Sun Wukong (Sun Goku) was the oldest and most capable.
A scene from Black Myth: Wukong features the famous character Son Goku. Photo: Game Science
The Shanxi province featured in the game has abundant resources, ancient caves, and classical architecture.
Experts say the region has so far failed to become a top tourist destination, mainly due to a lack of transport links between major tourist sites and a lack of promotion by local authorities.
Recently, its profile has changed dramatically with the release of around 20 video clips capturing scenic spots on Bilibili.com, including a series of videos called “Travel to Shanxi with Goku.”
Shanxi isn't the only place in China using the attention the sport has brought to boost tourism.
Lianyungang, a city in eastern Jiangsu province that claims to be the hometown of Sun Wukong, announced that players who complete all missions will be eligible for a free visit to the city's famous Huaguo Mountain.
