Revitalizing World Tourism and Energizing City Development - WTCF Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit & World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development to Open on 3 September

As part of the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), WTCF Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit & World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development (the Summit & Conference) is to take place on 3 September, 2021 in Beijing. The event is co-organized by World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality together with major international organizations and tourism institutions.

Themed "Revitalizing World Tourism and Energizing City Development", the Summit & Conference will be comprised by seven sections including the opening ceremony, global perspective, special forum, release of research results, dialogue on sustainable development of tourism cities, and the forum session.

As the only summit event organized by an international organization during 2021 CIFTIS, the Summit & Conference is intended to enhance the communication and sharing of the global tourism sector, and fully utilize the bond and platform role of international organizations to revitalize world tourism and energize city development. 

Pool Wisdom Globally for Revitalization of World Tourism

With further reinforced COVID-19 prevention and control, recovery in domestic tourism can be seen in most countries in 2021. Some countries have taken initial steps to open their borders, and revitalization of global tourism is gaining its momentum.

Under such circumstances, WTCF aspires to pool global representatives from cities, enterprises, international organizations and media through the Summit & Conference as a platform, analyze the new demands, changes and trends of world tourism and tourism cities brought by the pandemic, and discuss together on the new opportunities, agenda and actions of sustainable development of world tourism, so as to provide effective theories, technologies and models of development to facilitate the comprehensive revitalization of world tourism.

The event will also feature the Special Forum - Ambassadors' View on Tourism, which will be highlighted with the attendance of eight diplomats including Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to China, Luis Diego Monsalve Hoyos, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to China, Hussam Al Husseini, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya, Sarah J.C Serem, Ambassador of the Republic of Mozambique to China, Maria Gustava, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to China, Moin ul Haque, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to China, Ali Al Dhaheri, Ambassador of the Republic of Zimbabwe to China, Martin Chedondo, Charge d' Affaires of the Kingdom of Spain to China. The guests will share sights on the strategy to revitalize world tourism and successful experience despite the pandemic impacts.

Share Research Results for Sustainable Development of Tourism Cities

During the Summit & Conference, WTCF will release the latest research results - World Tourism Cities Development Report (2020) and Agenda for the Future Development of World Tourism Cities (2021-2030), which have been accomplished by considering the latest background and tourism development trend.

World Tourism Cities Development Report (2020) comprehensively summarizes the development of the world's major tourism cities in 2020 from three aspects, including the comprehensive evaluation of the world tourism cities development, the evaluation results and typical cases of world tourism cities recovery development. It also draws up invaluable experiences of the world's tourism cities and tourism enterprises in achieving full recovery against COVID-19.

Aligned with the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Agenda for the Future Development of World Tourism Cities (2021-2030) provides a framework for the future development of world tourism cities proposed by WTCF based on the comprehensive analysis of the changes in the international landscape and the development trends of world tourism in the next decade. The agenda focuses on the implementation of "Better City Life through Tourism", the core concept initiated in Beijing Declaration in 2012 .

The agenda highlights 12 goals for the future development of the world's tourism cities, including coordinating the promotion of epidemic prevention and control and tourism recovery in tourism cities, vigorously enhancing tourism employment and income growth in cities, reshaping the investment environment in tourism cities after the epidemic, actively strengthening the smart construction of tourism cities, spurring the construction of modern transportation networks in tourism cities, continuously improving the comprehensive service functions of tourism cities, furthering the public safety system construction in tourism cities, promoting innovation of tourism business in tourism cities, advancing the development of special culture in tourism cities, promoting brand construction in tourism cities, intensifying green and low-carbon development in tourism cities, promoting cooperation and development in tourism cities, etc.

By stepping up the implementation of the goals, the agenda is expect to guide the development of world tourism in a healthier, lower-carbon, more inclusive and accessible direction.

Inspire Multi-Angle Online/Offline Discussions on Tourism Recovery

The Summit & Conference will be livestreamed to the whole world, especially to over 200 members from more than 150 cities of 78 countries and regions. Multilingual support and livestreaming in Chinese, English French, Spanish and Russian will be available. During the  Global Perspective section, directors and tourism heads of international organizations, mayors of tourism cities and senior executives of global tourism corporations will be invited to present video discussions on multiple hot topics, including the revitalization of world tourism, cooperation among cities, development mode innovation and development trend, etc.

WTCF, voluntarily formed by famous tourism cities and tourism-related institutions in the world under the initiative of Beijing, is the world's first international tourism organization focusing on cities. With eight Fragrant Hills Tourism Summits held successively since 2012, the brand event has become an integrated global platform of world tourism for members to exchange experience, reinforce cooperation and build consensus.

During the 2020 CIFTIS, as one of the four core forums, World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development hosted by WTCF was highlighted with representatives from over 40 countries, including 10 ambassadors to China, discussing the plans for world tourism recovery under the epidemic prevention and control. The event witnessed the release of the Action Guide on Recovery and Revitalization of City Tourism amid COVID-19 that helped to restore the confidence of tourism recovery. In the 2021 CIFTIS, WTCF will host the Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit & World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development, which will serve as a platform for communication and sharing among the global tourism industry to facilitate peaceful, inclusive and sustainable development of world tourism amid regular epidemic prevention and control, and further reinforce the exchanges and cooperation among tourism cities around the world.