Wang Hong: Proactively Build up a Multilateral Cooperation Platform for Tourist Cities Around the World and Promote Development of the World’s Tourism Sector

Wang Hong, Executive Vice Chairperson of the WTCF Council and Vice Mayor of Beijing

On September 3rd, the WTCF Helsinki Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2019 under the theme of “Smart Tourism - Road to City Innovation and Development” commenced in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. At the opening ceremony, Wang Hong, Executive Vice Chairperson of the WTCF Council and Vice Mayor of Beijing, delivered an opening speech. She expressed that as the world’s first global and international tourism organization that’s comprised of cities, the WTCF will proactively build up a multilateral cooperation platform for cities to promote the global, smart and integral development of the tourism sector around the world.

The WTCF is a non-governmental international tourism organization initiated by the world’s most renowned destinations including Beijing, Berlin and Barcelona. It currently has 218 members, including 145 city members and 73 institutional members. Its members cover 73 countries and regions around the world as well as the entire industrial chain of the world’s tourism.

In the opening speech, Wang Hong expressed that since its formation in 2012, the WTCF has been based on the core idea of “Better City Life through Tourism” and that the organization endeavors to facilitate communication and cooperation among the world’s international cities and proactively promotes the globalization of the tourism sector. It is one of the international tourism organizations with the most potential for growth. So far, the WTCF has established strategic cooperative relations with international organizations including UNWTO, PATA and SCO, and has held 8 Fragrant Hills Tourism Summits and 5 regional tourism conferences. It proactively participates in or holds various international tourism exhibits. The WTCF has also promulgated a series of declarations, initiatives and propositions such as ‘Beijing, Chongqing and Los Angeles Declaration’, ‘Action Plan of Brand Building for the World’s Tourist Cities’ and ‘Initiative of Development of Key Cities on the Belt and Road Tourism Corridor’. It has also produced a series of academic research results including the ‘World Tourism Economic Trend Report’, the ‘World Tourist Cities Development Report’ and the ‘Survey Report of the Consumption Market of Chinese Outbound (Urban) Tourism’. It is the organization to introduce the idea of a shared economy into the world’s tourism sector which could greatly impact research and development in the sector.

At present, world tourism is rapidly developing. According to statistics from the UNWTO, the total number of global tourists in 2018 was 1.32 billion, and this number is expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of around 4%. Tourist cities are the main destinations a primary source of the world’s tourism. 80% of global tourist activities are through the platform of these renowned destinations. Wang Hong believes that ‘smart tourism’ is the most recent trend of the development of this sector, and is a major pillar of creativity for world travel. At present, smart tourism has globally entered the stage of comprehensive implementation and broad application. It is a huge facilitative factor for promoting the service, management and marketing of the world’s international cities. This Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit will focus on smart tourism. Domestic and foreign guests will share their experiences of smart tourism and travel-friendly cities. Discussions of the innovation and development of global cities could have great significance on facilitating the sustainable development of the world’s tourism sector. “The WTCF as the world’s first international tourism organization will proactively build up a multilateral cooperative platform for the world’s most popular destinations. It endeavors to strongly facilitate the global, smart and integral development of the tourism sector, which in turn makes tourist cities the most attractive, influential and cohesive developmental blocks for the international tourism sector.’

Helsinki is one of the founding members of the WTCF and the host of this Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit. In the opening speech, Wang Hong said that “Helsinki is the world’s most functional tourist city and a paradigm of tourism in its highest form. The WTCF hopes to proactively explore the new areas, models and businesses for the innovative development of the world’s global cities by learning from the success of Helsinki, which can facilitate the cooperative development of the world’s tourism to a higher level.”