Join Hands to Create Sustainable Splendor: WTCF Wellington Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2024 Kicks off

On April 23, the World Tourism Cities Federation Wellington Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2024 (hereinafter referred to as the "Summit"), co-hosted by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and Wellington City Council, kicks off in Wellington, New Zealand. Themed "Promoting Sustainable City Tourism: Innovation and Enhancement", the Summit seeks to focus on the global tourism industry's new demands, transformations and trends brought by technological innovation and endeavors to shape new ideas and initiatives, thereby offering conceptual, technological and model support for the sustainable growth of the tourism sectors around the globe.

The Summit is the first-ever Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit hosted in Oceania within the 12-year history of WTCF, broadening the Federation's ties with the world and enhancing its worldwide development layout. The Summit offers Oceania a prime opportunity to display its distinctive strengths in tourism development and is expected to boost the region's influence in the international tourism market. In addition, the Summit will also build a bridge for in-depth exchanges between the tourism industries of China and Oceania, encourage interaction among tourism bodies in China, New Zealand, and other countries and regions in Oceania, contribute to the global tourism industry, and strengthen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

The Summit comprises five sections: the opening ceremony, the section of keynote speeches, the Oceania Tourism Forum, the release of research results, and panel discussions. Nearly 400 attendees from about 42 countries and regions, including the representatives from international tourism organizations, government officials from various countries, industrial leaders, and experts and academicians, have convened in Wellington. They were set to engage in dialogues on the sustainable development of city tourism, providing a diverse range of insights to nurture sustainable tourism for the cities around the world.

Nicola Willis, the Minister of Finance, Minister for the Public Service, and Minister for Social Investment of New Zealand

Nicola Willis, the Minister of Finance, Minister for the Public Service, and Minister for Social Investment of New Zealand, delivered the opening address. She said the New Zealand government has embraced sustainability as an iconic principle, fostering eco-tourism through initiatives like reducing carbon emissions, complemented by supporting policies. She noted that the global tourism industry faces a range of challenges, but mutual learning, communication and exchanges can contribute to the industry's growth. She also expressed strong optimism for the tourism industry's future in the Asia-Pacific region, underpinned by the belief that tourists are not merely sightseers but active contributors to the cultural preservation and environmental conservation of their destinations, thereby collectively advancing the sustainable development of tourism.

Viliame Gavoka, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji

Viliame Gavoka, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji, stressed in his speech that countries worldwide must manage the multifaceted impacts of tourism on their economies, cultures, international exchanges, and other areas, and highlighted the need for countries to prioritize the well-being of their local populations and the preservation of their resources including cultural resources, while achieving growth their tourism sectors, thus enabling their tourism sectors to generate long-term opportunities and benefits. Speaking of Fiji's dedication to sustainability, Gavoka mentioned that the government has developed a strategic thematic planning that spans five decades, covering aspects such as land use, transportation infrastructure, and conservation of water and soil. He emphasized the significance of sustainable tourism and advocated for collaboration to address related challenges.

Tory Whanau, the Mayor of Wellington

Tory Whanau, the Mayor of Wellington, said that sustainable tourism is a crucial agenda. She stated that by investing in eco-friendly infrastructure and supporting local enterprises, cities could enhance the well-being of local residents while achieving tourism development, and promote the protection and improvement of the ecological environment. Furthermore, by embracing innovative tourism models like eco-tourism and cultural tourism, every city can attract a more specific tourist demographic. She expressed her hope for collaborative efforts across all sectors to ensure the continued sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Sima Hong, the Executive Vice Chair of WTCF Council and a Vice Mayor of Beijing

Sima Hong, the Executive Vice Chair of WTCF Council and a Vice Mayor of Beijing, emphasized the economic and social benefits of the tourism industry, and proposed three initiatives: steadfastly upholding the principle of green development, enhancing innovation in science and technology to enrich the tourism experiences through digital technologies, and deepen international collaboration in the cultural tourism domain. She firmly believes that with all stakeholders in the industry collaborating and collectively dedicated to innovation and development enhancement, the tourism cities will undoubtedly form a beautiful world that is ecologically friendly, technologically advanced, and culturally diverse.

Fares Braizat, the Mayor of Petra

The event included an admission ceremony for WTCF's new members, featuring the screening of membership admission videos for the 33 newly joining members including Addis Ababa, Asti, Baidu, Qatar Tourism, etc. Fares Braizat, the Mayor of Petra, spoke at the ceremony on behalf of new members. He said that the tourism industry acts not only as a driver for social and economic development but also as a force to unite people and achieve shared prosperity and growth. Guided by the principle of mutually beneficial collaboration, Petra has been proactively harnessing its local resources to broaden potential collaborative opportunities in the future. He called for more international tourism cities and businesses to join WTCF and expressed his readiness to collaborate with WTCF and its members to achieve mutual benefits, advancing sustainable, common development between cities and their collaborative partners.

Yang Shuo, WTCF's Secretary-General

In the section of keynote speeches, Yang Shuo, WTCF's Secretary-General, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, the Deputy Governor for Intl Marketing, Asia & South Pacific of TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand), Grant Smith, the Mayor of Palmerston North and President of Global Cities New Zealand, Zhuang Zhuoran, the Vice President of Alibaba Group and CEO of Fliggy, and Qu Guangji, the Executive Vice President of China Southern Air Holding Co., Ltd., delivered speeches on topics including ecological conservation, infrastructure construction, cultural tourism, people-centered development philosophy, policy guidance, and marketing strategies. During the Oceania Tourism Forum, tourism officials from New Zealand and Fiji, along with representatives from the Pacific Tourism Organization, engaged in discussions about the sustainable development of regional tourism.

Moreover, the latest research report Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2024), co-authored by WTCF and the Tourism Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was released at the Summit. The report offers a panoramic review of the global tourism economy's recovery in 2023 through analysis of the data collected. Integrating the development of key cities, core industries, and tourism companies, it provides a thorough analysis of the industry's future trends, opportunities and challenges, providing policymakers and stakeholders with decision-making references and theoretical support.

A photo taken during the Summit

During the panel discussions, tourism officials and private enterprise representatives from numerous countries shared and promoted innovative approaches and successful stories under the themes of "Heritage Preservation and Urban Renewal" and "Diversified Integration and Innovative Development". They together delved into the ways to skillfully blend culture, technology and tourism, enrich tourism offerings, safeguard cultural heritage, and foster continuous innovation and development within the tourism industry, providing insights for the sustainable city tourism.

In addition, during WTCF International Tourism Fair, a significant warm-up event of the Summit, Beijing Capital International Airport and Wellington Airport signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for business cooperation; China Southern Airlines, Auckland Airport and AucklandNZ signed a three-party cooperation memorandum; China Southern Airlines and Christchurch Airport signed an MOU for civil aviation exchange and cooperation. Moreover, more than 300 one-on-one negotiations took place between 20 Chinese tourism enterprises and 35 local cultural tourism businesses in New Zealand, further promoting tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two sides.

Founded in 2012 under the initiative of Beijing, WTCF is the world's first international tourism organization focusing on cities. WTCF has now grown into an international tourism organization with a total of 246 members, which covers 86 countries and regions, including 164 city members, 82 associate members and institutional members as well as six sub-committees covering the following sectors: experts, civil aviation, tourism-related companies, media, cruise ships, and investment. After years of development and its enhanced appeal, services, guidance and influence in the tourism industry, WTCF is credited as the fastest-growing international tourism organization in the world. As WTCF's annual international brand event, the Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit has become a comprehensive platform for the entire tourism industry, enabling its members to exchange experiences, reinforce cooperation, boost the economy, and build consensus.