China’s Meituan is developing an artificial intelligence ecosystem designed to transform how travelers plan, book and experience destinations across the country.
The company is combining its LongCat-2.0 foundation model, Xiaotuan consumer assistant and CatPaw merchant platform. Together, these technologies could connect travelers directly with hotels, restaurants, attractions and other local service providers.
The strategy moves beyond traditional online travel search. Instead of simply displaying listings, an AI assistant could interpret a complete travel request, recommend a suitable journey and help execute individual bookings.
This approach positions Meituan as an AI-powered travel concierge within China’s extensive digital services market. It also highlights the growing role of agentic technology, which can perform tasks instead of only responding to questions.
For China’s tourism industry, the system could deliver stronger destination discovery, better operational coordination and more personalized visitor experiences. Local businesses may also gain new ways to reach travelers whose requirements closely match their services.
LongCat-2.0 Powers Intelligent Planning
LongCat-2.0 provides the technological foundation for Meituan’s expanding AI strategy. The sparse Mixture-of-Experts model has 1.6 trillion total parameters, with approximately 48 billion activated for each token.
Its technical design supports reasoning, coding, tool use and autonomous task execution. The model also offers a context window exceeding one million tokens and output capacity reaching 262,000 tokens.
Meituan has indicated that the computing system was developed using 50,000 domestically produced Chinese accelerators. Its dynamic architecture activates only the model components required for a particular task, supporting greater operational efficiency.
These capabilities carry particular importance for tourism. Travel planning involves several connected decisions, including destination selection, flights, accommodation, dining, transport, attractions and timing.
An agentic model can divide a complex request into smaller steps. It may then check available services, compare options and assemble a practical itinerary aligned with the traveler’s budget and preferences.
Xiaotuan Simplifies Trip Creation
Xiaotuan brings Meituan’s artificial intelligence directly to consumers through a conversational interface within the company’s app.
Traditional platforms require travelers to conduct separate searches for rooms, restaurants, attractions and local activities. Users must then compare the results and determine whether each service fits their wider itinerary.
Xiaotuan is designed to understand the complete objective. A traveler could request a family-friendly boutique hotel near nature, a well-reviewed local restaurant and several nearby attractions for a weekend break.
The assistant could evaluate those requirements together. It may then create a connected itinerary that reduces travel time while matching the requested accommodation style and dining preferences.
This represents a transition from a “search and select” model to a “request and complete” experience. Recommendations, reservations and payments could eventually take place within one digital environment.
Meituan’s extensive physical service network gives the system an important advantage. The platform already connects consumers with hotels, restaurants, attractions, mobility providers and local merchants.
Local Data Strengthens Recommendations
Accuracy remains one of the largest challenges for AI-supported tourism planning. General-purpose systems can recommend businesses that have closed, provide outdated operating information or suggest impractical routes.
Meituan can ground its recommendations in merchant details and consumer activity generated through its own services. Its ecosystem includes more than 1.5 billion consumer reviews, providing substantial insight into service quality and local preferences.
The company’s Must-Eat List supports restaurant discovery across 264 cities and regions. Meanwhile, the Must-Visit List highlights attractions and experiences that may appeal to travelers.
This information could help visitors move beyond widely promoted landmarks and discover neighborhood businesses. Consequently, smaller restaurants, independent hotels and local attractions may gain exposure to relevant customers.
However, the quality of the experience will depend on current inventory, accurate business information and transparent recommendation methods. Travelers must also understand when results are personalized or commercially influenced.
CatPaw Supports Tourism Businesses
While Xiaotuan serves consumers, CatPaw focuses on merchants operating across Meituan’s service network.
The platform provides AI-supported tools for inventory management, workflow automation, operational decisions and service optimization. Hotels could use these capabilities to coordinate room availability with changing demand.
Restaurants and attractions may gain faster insights into visitor preferences, busy periods and service requirements. These tools could help businesses allocate resources more effectively while improving the customer experience.
The connection between Xiaotuan and CatPaw creates a closed digital loop. A traveler submits a request, Xiaotuan develops the plan, merchants confirm availability, and Meituan facilitates the transaction.
Agentic Tourism Enters a New Phase
Meituan’s strategy reflects a wider transformation in global travel commerce. Competition is shifting from inventory volume and search filters toward intelligence, personalization and task completion.
AI assistants could increasingly become the first point of contact for travelers discovering destinations. Their influence may extend throughout the journey, from initial inspiration to restaurant reservations and local transportation.
Data protection, recommendation transparency and service reliability will remain essential. Tourism businesses must also preserve human assistance for disruptions and complex traveler needs.
Nevertheless, Meituan’s integration of LongCat-2.0, Xiaotuan and CatPaw demonstrates how digital intelligence can connect directly with physical tourism services. The model could reshape travel across China while offering the global tourism industry an important example of agent-driven commerce.
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