WTCF Conference on Asia-Pacific Tourism 2022 Held Online

On 26 May, WTCF Conference on Asia-Pacific Tourism 2022 (hereinafter referred to as the Conference) was held online. It was hosted by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and supported by the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO). Present at the Conference were more than 100 representatives from 49 cities in 30 countries and regions, including Andy Foster, Mayor of Wellington, Marie Roland Alain Wong Yen Cheong, Ambassador of Mauritius to China, Dumitru Braghis, Ambassador of Moldova to China, as well as the representatives of the Croatian National Tourist Board, South African Tourism, and the Tunisian National Tourist Office. They jointly discussed the cooperation and development in the recovery and revitalization of tourism in the Asia-Pacific region and looked into the future development trends and prospects of tourism in the Asia-Pacific region.

Li Baochun, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of WTCF, put forward several suggestions on how to speed up the rebirth and transformation of urban tourism in the Asia-Pacific region amidst the new trends, and push forward the development of Asia-Pacific tourism to a new stage. First, innovate tourism management modes and boost the improvement of urban governance; second, adapt to the changes in market demand and spur the improvement of urban services; third, integrate sci-tech development to support smart city construction; and fourth, continuously strengthen international cooperation and boost higher-quality development of Asia-Pacific tourism.

Woo Kyoung-ha, Secretary-General of TPO, and Andy Foster, Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand, delivered themed speeches on promoting the high-quality development of tourism cities in the Asia-Pacific region and strengthening the smart development of tourism cities. They also explored the opportunities for the recovery and revitalization of tourism in the Asia-Pacific region, leveraging the role of international organizations as platforms and taking tourism as a booster to improve the well-being of mankind and promote economic prosperity and sustainable development.

Song Rui, Director of the Tourism Research Center, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (TRC-CASS) and an expert of WTCF, released the Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2022). Constructive views were offered in view of the current global economic development environment, the development pattern of tourism on the five continents, the trend of tourism development which are all affected by the epidemic, and the prospects, providing intellectual support for the recovery of global tourism. John Koldowski, Special Advisor to CEO of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), presented a quantitative analysis of the current situation of global and Asia-Pacific tourism, proposed the "Outlook of Asia-Pacific Tourism in 2022-2024", and analyzed the factors affecting the recovery of tourism. Rich Yang, Associate Editor-in-Chief of Sina Travel, expressed his views on "New Media Drives the Accumulated Development of Asia-Pacific City Tourism", sharing the case of Weibo-based marketing for Asia-Pacific tourism.

During the Forum Panel Discussion, Zeng Wuling, Deputy Director-General of Dalian Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Soontaree Sernsuksamrit, Deputy Director-General of Culture Sports and Tourism Department, Bangkok, Nicolaus Lumanauw, Chairman of Tanjung Pandan Environmental Tourism Social Development Center, Tsuyoshi Yasuda, Chief Representative of JTB Corp’s Beijing Office, Nuri Kim, Specialist of EATOF (East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum) Permanent Secretariat, Le Anh Kiet, Head of the Dalat City Information and Culture Division, Vietnam, and other guests held rounds of in-depth discussions focusing on such topics as "Experience and Best Practice Sharing of Asia Pacific Cities on How to Achieve the Win-Win Situation in Their Efforts to Battle the COVID-19 and Revitalize the Economy and Tourism" and "Policies of Asia-Pacific Cities for Tourism Recovery and the Development Trend of Tourism Market in China and Asia-Pacific Region in the Post-Pandemic Era".

The participants noted in their feedback that the topics covered during this Conference are of great significance for relevant cities to formulate tourism recovery strategies in a timely and multi-dimensional manner.