WTCF Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2025 Officially Opens

On April 15, the WTCF Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2025 (hereinafter referred to as the "Summit") officially opened in Hong Kong, China. The Summit, themed "Innovate City Branding to Elevate Tourism Excellence", is jointly hosted by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and co-organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Five prominent international tourism organizations serve as the partners for the Summit, namely the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the European Travel Commission (ETC), and the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF).

The Summit features a rich lineup of activities, including an opening ceremony, the Mayors' Forum, a section for releasing research outcomes, the City Brand Building and Inbound Tourism Development Forum, the Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum, the Beijing-Hong Kong Tourism Trade Fair, and the Beijing Inbound Tourism Policy and Resources Promotion Conference. The Summit organizes more than 100 buyers and sellers in Beijing and Hong Kong to carry out more than 570 tourism negotiations, realizing an intended transaction volume of nearly CNY 200 million. Meanwhile, the event aims to serve as a high-level, multi-sector platform for communication and cooperation by leveraging the WTCF's global reach and Hong Kong's advantage as an international metropolis and a regional city of prominence. The city reputed as the "Pearl of the Orient" sees the arrival of guests from over 60 cities of 43 countries, including the delegates of the WTCF's city and institutional members, international organizations, and tourism enterprises, as well as experts and scholars, to discuss strategies for the high-quality development of the tourism industry.

John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivers the opening speech.

At the opening ceremony, John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivered the opening speech. He believed that this Summit has gathered mayors, deputy mayors of tourism cities from multiple countries around the world, as well as representatives of industry institutions, creating a platform for jointly discussing the paths of cross-regional cooperation and jointly shaping the future of the tourism industry through unity and collaboration. Themed "Innovate City Branding to Elevate Tourism Excellence", the Summit provides an excellent starting point, enabling all the attending guests to conduct in-depth discussions around inter-city cooperation on how to drive the high-quality development of the tourism industry. Hong Kong is an important trade center in the world and has always been committed to free and open trade, which has also made Hong Kong one of the world's tourism destinations. As an international metropolis, Hong Kong has ushered in important development opportunities brought about by the vigorous development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He warmly welcomes global tourists to start their exploration journey from Hong Kong, appreciate the charm of Victoria Harbour, experience the allure of Hong Kong, and feel the openness and warmth of this city.

Maurizio Rasero, Governor of Asti Province and Mayor of Asti City, Italy, delivers a speech.

Maurizio Rasero, Governor of Asti Province and Mayor of Asti City, Italy, spoke on behalf of the representative of member cities of the WTCF. He emphasized that tourism has become the most important and dynamic industry in the world economy, saying, "Tourism not only revitalizes the value of local culture and natural heritage but also fosters economic growth, job creation, and overall regional development." He pointed out that tourism is not a standalone sector but rather intricately linked with numerous industries, highlighting that fostering tourism development is undoubtedly a comprehensive economic approach. The WTCF, as an international tourism organization, plays an irreplaceable role in the global tourism industry. As the only international tourism organization focusing on cities, the WTCF fully leverages its significant influence to build platforms and broaden channels for collaboration among international tourist destinations. By organizing events and publishing research reports, WTCF effectively contributes to the rejuvenation and flourishing of the global tourism industry, promoting innovative growth in world tourist cities.

The Hong Kong Initiative was officially released.

As an important link in promoting cultural exchanges, driving economic growth, and facilitating social integration, the tourism industry plays an irreplaceable role in building a community with a shared future for mankind. At the opening ceremony, the Hong Kong Initiative, a blueprint for the future of tourism cities, was officially released. The initiative calls for joint efforts in developing a new development pattern for the growth of tourism cities, which is deeply rooted in cultural inheritance and innovation, propelled by technologies, guided by the principle of sustainable development, supported by global collaboration, and underpinned by tourism security measures. It provides new directions and action guidelines for the future development of global tourism cities and will further promote the prosperity and growth of the international tourism industry.

The 2024-2025 admission ceremony for the WTCF's new members was held.

At the event, the 2024-2025 admission ceremony for the WTCF's new members was held. The newcomers include Kandy of Sri Lanka, San Salvador of El Salvador, and two more city members, and seven institutional members including Marriott International Inc., Royal Air Maroc, and more.

The Mayor's Forum.

With the evolution of travel demands and trends, sustainable development and innovation have become the core drivers reshaping the future of the branding of tourism cities. At the Mayor's Forum, István Ujhelyi, Ambassador of UN Tourism and former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, Mario Durán, Mayor of San Salvador, Georgios Giannaros, Vice Mayor of Athens, Arachchige Don Saman Rohana, Vice Mayor of Colombo, and Rahma Ouazzani Taibi, Vice Mayor of Rabat, conducted an in-depth discussion on the topic of "Sustainable Development and Innovation: Reshaping the Future of Tourism City Branding". They discussed how cities can enhance their tourism appeal and competitiveness through innovative means while protecting ecological environment and preserving cultural heritage. New pathways for building tourism cities' brands were also explored during this forum, aimed at injecting new vitality into urban tourism. The forum was chaired by Karl Wöber, Director of the Experts Committee of the WTCF and President of Modul University Vienna.

The opening ceremony saw the official release of the Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2025), the latest collaborative research by the WTCF and the Tourism Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. This report delivers a comprehensive review and synthesis of the global tourism economy for 2024, and presents an informed outlook on the 2025 growth path of the global tourism economy, including both international and domestic tourism sectors. Meanwhile, it made a forward-looking forecast, making a multi-dimensional analysis of the international tourism market and industry development, and offering intellectual support and experience sharing to further promote the high-quality development of global tourism cities. The report highlights that the Asia-Pacific region is emerging as a pivotal growth engine for the international tourism economy. In 2024, the total number of tourist trips worldwide reached 14.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.8 percent. Concurrently, global tourism revenue climbed to USD 6.1 trillion in total, demonstrating a year-on-year growth of 3.7 percent. The Asia-Pacific region notably led this rapid expansion of the tourism economy. It registered a year-on-year increase of 19.9 percent in total tourist trips, topping the list among the five major regions. Furthermore, its total tourism revenue grew by 6.4 percent, outpacing the region's GDP growth rate by two percentage points, which was 4.0 percent. The forecast for 2025 indicates that the Asia-Pacific region could potentially see its total tourism revenue growth surpass ten percent.

As one of the hosts of this Summit, the WTCF is the world's first international tourism organization dedicated to cities. Since its establishment in Beijing in 2012, the WTCF has been intensifying its efforts in building platforms and promoting cooperation. The number of its members has expanded from the initial 58 to the current 256 (168 city members and 88 institutional members), covering 87 countries and regions worldwide. The WTCF adheres to the core vision of "Better City Life through Tourism", actively building platforms for communication and cooperation and disseminating experiences in the development of tourism cities. The Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit, an annual brand event of the WTCF, is committed to promoting resource sharing and experience exchanges among tourism cities and enterprises, and facilitating the joint exploration of new modes and opportunities for tourism cooperation. The Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit is widely recognized as the most important cooperation platform among tourism cities in the tourism industry.