Most people who have visited scenic spots have had this experience: waiting in line for more than ten minutes at a manual window to rent an audio guide during peak seasons, and then rushing to return it before the park closes. Today, this scenario is rapidly disappearing. The deep penetration of the sharing economy is completely rewriting the industry landscape of audio guide rentals. The unmanned self-service sharing model not only makes tourists' visiting experience smoother but also finds a new path for operators such as scenic spots and museums to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
According to the latest industry statistics, the market size of domestic scenic spot guide equipment rentals in China was approximately 9.8 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%. It is expected to exceed 11.5 billion yuan in 2026 and maintain a stable growth rate of 12%-14% in the next three years. Among them, personal self-service intelligent guide headsets have the fastest growth, with a market size of 2.16 billion yuan in 2025 and a compound annual growth rate of nearly 24%.
This round of growth is driven by both policies and the market. In 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism included intelligent guides in the 5A-level scenic spot review standards, directly driving 119 scenic spots to centrally purchase and upgrade equipment, contributing 32% of the market increment in 2024. By the end of 2025, the average equipment rate of electronic guide devices in national 5A-level scenic spots had reached 92.3%, of which self-service shared audio guides accounted for 68.7%, an increase of 41.2 percentage points compared to 2022. At the same time, tourists' willingness to pay has also increased significantly. 76.3% of tourists are willing to pay extra for a better visiting experience, with an average single payment willingness between 28-45 yuan, more than doubling compared to 2020.
Traditional audio guide rentals are highly dependent on manual windows, which not only have limited service hours but also make queuing a common occurrence during peak seasons. The emergence of the sharing model solves all problems with a single self-service rental cabinet. Tourists can complete rental and return by scanning a code, taking only 30 seconds for the entire process, truly realizing "pick up and use, return and go", and providing 24-hour uninterrupted service.
For tourists, shared audio guides bring a more free and personalized visiting experience. Mainstream products are equipped with dual-frequency RFID induction and Bluetooth 5.3 sub-meter-level positioning fusion technology, automatically playing explanations when arriving at the corresponding scenic spot without interference between adjacent areas. They support more than 10 languages, meeting the needs of international tourists. The new generation of ear-hook devices weighs only 18-22 grams, causing no obvious discomfort even when worn for a long time.
From the operator's perspective, the cost reduction and efficiency improvement effect of the sharing model is very significant. A single self-service rental cabinet can replace 2-3 window staff, reducing labor costs by more than 70%. The cloud backend can monitor the location, battery level and usage status of devices in real time, realizing intelligent scheduling and maintenance. By analyzing tourists' visiting trajectories, stay duration and content preferences, operators can also reversely optimize the service layout and content design of scenic spots. In addition to basic rental income, advertising implantation and paid special content have also become new profit points.
Today, shared audio guides are no longer limited to scenic spots and museums. Scenarios such as corporate exhibition halls, industrial tourism, research bases, red education venues, and large conferences and forums have begun to widely use intelligent guide equipment. Especially in corporate visits and conference activities, team explanation systems using UHF wireless transmission technology can effectively solve the sound interference problem when multiple people listen at the same time, greatly improving communication efficiency. In 2025, the total rental volume of intelligent guide equipment in various scenarios in China exceeded 370 million person-times.
First is the continuous policy support. The "14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural and Tourism Development" clearly proposes to improve the digital and intelligent level of scenic spots, and local government special bonds have continuously increased investment in smart scenic spot infrastructure. The full implementation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's "One Machine Tour" supervision platform has also accelerated the upgrading of existing scenic spot equipment. In 2025, more than 2,000 A-level scenic spots nationwide had completed the upgrade of their intelligent guide systems.
Second is the upgrading of tourism consumption. Tourists are no longer satisfied with "hurried sightseeing" but pursue deeper and more immersive cultural experiences. As an important carrier of cultural communication, audio guides can provide tourists with professional and detailed introductions to scenic spots, helping them better understand historical and cultural connotations. The rise of family parent-child tours and senior tourism has also spawned demand for age-appropriate designs and children's interactive guides.
Third is the continuous technological progress. The application of 5G, AI, Internet of Things and other technologies has made audio guides more and more powerful. The accuracy of speech recognition has increased from 85% in 2022 to 95.8% in 2025, and the delay of multilingual real-time translation has been reduced to less than 0.6 seconds. Advances in battery technology have also increased device battery life from the original 6-8 hours to more than 12 hours, fully meeting the needs of all-day visits.
However, while the industry is developing rapidly, many problems have also been exposed. At present, the overall user satisfaction of the industry is only 67.4%, lower than the average satisfaction of comprehensive scenic spot services. Problems such as lagging content updates, uneven voice quality, and high equipment failure rates are frequently complained about. At the same time, market homogenization competition is serious, most products have similar functions, and price wars are intensifying. In addition, the high costs of equipment charging, disinfection, maintenance and loss have also put many small and medium-sized operators under profit pressure.
In response to these pain points, the industry is developing in the direction of dual-wheel drive by technology and content. In the future, audio guides will be deeply integrated with AI, AR and big data to achieve more intelligent and personalized services. For example, AI audio guides can recommend exclusive routes according to tourists' age and interests and answer tourists' questions in real time; AR audio guides can reproduce historical scenes, making tourists feel immersive. In terms of content, it will also develop from a single scenic spot introduction to diversification and IPization, cooperating with knowledge payment platforms and cultural IPs to launch high-quality paid content, forming a comprehensive ecosystem of "hardware + content + service". In addition, a cross-city and cross-scenic spot borrowing and returning service network will gradually be formed to provide tourists with a more convenient experience.
Among many brands deeply engaged in the industry, Yingmi has become the preferred partner for many scenic spots and operators with more than ten years of technical accumulation and full-scene service experience.
Yingmi focuses on providing one-stop intelligent guide solutions, and its shared audio guide system accurately solves many industry pain points: it supports deposit-free rental by scanning WeChat/Alipay codes, completes rental and return within 30 seconds, and also supports off-site return. It is equipped with dual-frequency RFID induction and Bluetooth 5.3 sub-meter-level positioning fusion technology, with an effective induction distance of 35 meters, automatically playing explanations when people arrive, with accurate and non-interfering narration. The rental cabinet has a built-in ultraviolet + ozone dual disinfection chamber, which automatically completes 360° dead-angle-free disinfection after each return, ensuring safe use. The device has a battery life of more than 12 hours on a single charge and also supports fast charging technology. The powerful cloud management system can provide detailed data statistics and analysis, helping operators achieve refined management.
At present, Yingmi's products and services have covered more than 30 provinces and cities nationwide, providing intelligent guide solutions for thousands of 5A-level scenic spots, museums and corporate exhibition halls, and has been widely recognized by customers and tourists. Whether it is a scenic spot that wants to upgrade its existing guide system or an entrepreneur planning to enter the audio guide rental market, Yingmi is a trustworthy partner.
With the continuous deepening of the sharing economy and continuous technological progress, the audio guide rental market still has great development space. Only by grasping industry trends and choosing high-quality brands and products can we occupy a favorable position in the fierce market competition.
Most people who have visited scenic spots have had this experience: waiting in line for more than ten minutes at a manual window to rent an audio guide during peak seasons, and then rushing to return it before the park closes. Today, this scenario is rapidly disappearing. The deep penetration of the sharing economy is completely rewriting the industry landscape of audio guide rentals. The unmanned self-service sharing model not only makes tourists' visiting experience smoother but also finds a new path for operators such as scenic spots and museums to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
According to the latest industry statistics, the market size of domestic scenic spot guide equipment rentals in China was approximately 9.8 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%. It is expected to exceed 11.5 billion yuan in 2026 and maintain a stable growth rate of 12%-14% in the next three years. Among them, personal self-service intelligent guide headsets have the fastest growth, with a market size of 2.16 billion yuan in 2025 and a compound annual growth rate of nearly 24%.
This round of growth is driven by both policies and the market. In 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism included intelligent guides in the 5A-level scenic spot review standards, directly driving 119 scenic spots to centrally purchase and upgrade equipment, contributing 32% of the market increment in 2024. By the end of 2025, the average equipment rate of electronic guide devices in national 5A-level scenic spots had reached 92.3%, of which self-service shared audio guides accounted for 68.7%, an increase of 41.2 percentage points compared to 2022. At the same time, tourists' willingness to pay has also increased significantly. 76.3% of tourists are willing to pay extra for a better visiting experience, with an average single payment willingness between 28-45 yuan, more than doubling compared to 2020.
Traditional audio guide rentals are highly dependent on manual windows, which not only have limited service hours but also make queuing a common occurrence during peak seasons. The emergence of the sharing model solves all problems with a single self-service rental cabinet. Tourists can complete rental and return by scanning a code, taking only 30 seconds for the entire process, truly realizing "pick up and use, return and go", and providing 24-hour uninterrupted service.
For tourists, shared audio guides bring a more free and personalized visiting experience. Mainstream products are equipped with dual-frequency RFID induction and Bluetooth 5.3 sub-meter-level positioning fusion technology, automatically playing explanations when arriving at the corresponding scenic spot without interference between adjacent areas. They support more than 10 languages, meeting the needs of international tourists. The new generation of ear-hook devices weighs only 18-22 grams, causing no obvious discomfort even when worn for a long time.
From the operator's perspective, the cost reduction and efficiency improvement effect of the sharing model is very significant. A single self-service rental cabinet can replace 2-3 window staff, reducing labor costs by more than 70%. The cloud backend can monitor the location, battery level and usage status of devices in real time, realizing intelligent scheduling and maintenance. By analyzing tourists' visiting trajectories, stay duration and content preferences, operators can also reversely optimize the service layout and content design of scenic spots. In addition to basic rental income, advertising implantation and paid special content have also become new profit points.
Today, shared audio guides are no longer limited to scenic spots and museums. Scenarios such as corporate exhibition halls, industrial tourism, research bases, red education venues, and large conferences and forums have begun to widely use intelligent guide equipment. Especially in corporate visits and conference activities, team explanation systems using UHF wireless transmission technology can effectively solve the sound interference problem when multiple people listen at the same time, greatly improving communication efficiency. In 2025, the total rental volume of intelligent guide equipment in various scenarios in China exceeded 370 million person-times.
First is the continuous policy support. The "14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural and Tourism Development" clearly proposes to improve the digital and intelligent level of scenic spots, and local government special bonds have continuously increased investment in smart scenic spot infrastructure. The full implementation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's "One Machine Tour" supervision platform has also accelerated the upgrading of existing scenic spot equipment. In 2025, more than 2,000 A-level scenic spots nationwide had completed the upgrade of their intelligent guide systems.
Second is the upgrading of tourism consumption. Tourists are no longer satisfied with "hurried sightseeing" but pursue deeper and more immersive cultural experiences. As an important carrier of cultural communication, audio guides can provide tourists with professional and detailed introductions to scenic spots, helping them better understand historical and cultural connotations. The rise of family parent-child tours and senior tourism has also spawned demand for age-appropriate designs and children's interactive guides.
Third is the continuous technological progress. The application of 5G, AI, Internet of Things and other technologies has made audio guides more and more powerful. The accuracy of speech recognition has increased from 85% in 2022 to 95.8% in 2025, and the delay of multilingual real-time translation has been reduced to less than 0.6 seconds. Advances in battery technology have also increased device battery life from the original 6-8 hours to more than 12 hours, fully meeting the needs of all-day visits.
However, while the industry is developing rapidly, many problems have also been exposed. At present, the overall user satisfaction of the industry is only 67.4%, lower than the average satisfaction of comprehensive scenic spot services. Problems such as lagging content updates, uneven voice quality, and high equipment failure rates are frequently complained about. At the same time, market homogenization competition is serious, most products have similar functions, and price wars are intensifying. In addition, the high costs of equipment charging, disinfection, maintenance and loss have also put many small and medium-sized operators under profit pressure.
In response to these pain points, the industry is developing in the direction of dual-wheel drive by technology and content. In the future, audio guides will be deeply integrated with AI, AR and big data to achieve more intelligent and personalized services. For example, AI audio guides can recommend exclusive routes according to tourists' age and interests and answer tourists' questions in real time; AR audio guides can reproduce historical scenes, making tourists feel immersive. In terms of content, it will also develop from a single scenic spot introduction to diversification and IPization, cooperating with knowledge payment platforms and cultural IPs to launch high-quality paid content, forming a comprehensive ecosystem of "hardware + content + service". In addition, a cross-city and cross-scenic spot borrowing and returning service network will gradually be formed to provide tourists with a more convenient experience.
Among many brands deeply engaged in the industry, Yingmi has become the preferred partner for many scenic spots and operators with more than ten years of technical accumulation and full-scene service experience.
Yingmi focuses on providing one-stop intelligent guide solutions, and its shared audio guide system accurately solves many industry pain points: it supports deposit-free rental by scanning WeChat/Alipay codes, completes rental and return within 30 seconds, and also supports off-site return. It is equipped with dual-frequency RFID induction and Bluetooth 5.3 sub-meter-level positioning fusion technology, with an effective induction distance of 35 meters, automatically playing explanations when people arrive, with accurate and non-interfering narration. The rental cabinet has a built-in ultraviolet + ozone dual disinfection chamber, which automatically completes 360° dead-angle-free disinfection after each return, ensuring safe use. The device has a battery life of more than 12 hours on a single charge and also supports fast charging technology. The powerful cloud management system can provide detailed data statistics and analysis, helping operators achieve refined management.
At present, Yingmi's products and services have covered more than 30 provinces and cities nationwide, providing intelligent guide solutions for thousands of 5A-level scenic spots, museums and corporate exhibition halls, and has been widely recognized by customers and tourists. Whether it is a scenic spot that wants to upgrade its existing guide system or an entrepreneur planning to enter the audio guide rental market, Yingmi is a trustworthy partner.
With the continuous deepening of the sharing economy and continuous technological progress, the audio guide rental market still has great development space. Only by grasping industry trends and choosing high-quality brands and products can we occupy a favorable position in the fierce market competition.
