World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2022: Proactive Search for Solutions of Development and Reform of Tourism Industry under New Situation

The World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2022, organized by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), took place on 1 September at the China National Convention Center. In the section of Keynote Speech, participants made suggestions on how to find new development paths and promote sustainable development in tourist cities.

The section of the Keynote Speech was moderated by Yang Shuo, WTCF Secretary-General

Yang Jinbai, Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Beijing, delivered a keynote speech.

Yang Jinbai, Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Beijing, said in his keynote speech that repeated outbreaks of COVID-19 had led to unprecedented challenges for the global tourism industry. In face of these new development challenges, global tourist cities should follow new industry development trends, further strengthen cooperation between tourist cities, organizations, and industries, and vigorously promote innovation in products, business models, development models, and management. Meanwhile, tourist cities should also seek to develop in harmony with the tourism industry through more profound exchanges and more decisive action.

Yang reaffirmed that, as the city where WTCF is headquartered, Beijing would always support the development of the World Tourism Cities Federation and seek to participate in exchanges and learn together with members of the Federation in an attempt to contribute to the recovery of the international tourism industry.

Zhuang Zhuoran, Vice President of Alibaba and President of Fliggy, delivered a keynote speech.

Zhuang Zhuoran, Vice President of Alibaba and President of Fliggy, shared his views on how the global tourism industry would develop in the next ten years with the help of digital innovation. He spoke in his keynote speech about digital platforms forming an integrated chain for tourist cities, bringing together resources from tourism, cultural, catering, retailing and agricultural sectors, and creating digitalized service fronts characterized by sustainable operation. What's more, digital platforms can help businesses reach their audience directly and encourage customers to make repeat purchases and reduce businesses' long-term operating costs. Meanwhile, Zhuang highlighted examples of cooperation involving Pinggu District, Marriott International, and the Universal Beijing Resort to provide an in-depth explanation of the vital role digitization played in the survival and transformation of the tourism industry.

Du Yili, a WTCF expert and Deputy Director-General of the former China National Tourism Administration, released the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2021).

Du Yili, a WTCF expert and Deputy Director-General of the former China National Tourism Administration, presented the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2021) at the Conference.

The World Tourism Cities Development Report is formulated based on the long-term observation of typical tourist cities. It aims to establish scientific and comprehensive assessment systems, release an annual development ranking of global tourist cities, analyze the overall annual development of these cities, study the major issues facing the global tourism industry, and promote the sustainable development of the cities.

The World Tourism Cities Development Report (2021) has highlighted five features found in the comprehensive ranking of cities in 2021 and offered seven suggestions to promote tourist cities' comprehensive development.

The first one aims to strike a balance between pandemic prevention and control and the development of tourism.

The second is to develop policies supporting the recovery of the tourism industry.

The third is to promote the integrated development of innovative products.

The fourth is to advance digital and smart development as they pertain to the tourism industry.

The fifth one focuses on improving public services and management capacity in tourist cities.

The sixth seeks to optimize security systems.

And the seventh encourages adherence to sustainable development concepts.

The international tourism industry has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and countries should embrace the development trend of the digital economy and promote the integration of scientific innovation and tourism, which will facilitate the recovery and development of the global tourism industry. According to a key proposal raised in the Agenda for the Future Development of World Tourism Cities (2021-2030), the next ten years will be crucial for the recovery, transformation, reform, and prosperity of the global tourism industry in the post-pandemic era. In the end, the Conference served to highlight some insights for surviving and even flourishing in the next decade.