Innovate City Branding to Explore New Opportunities for Cultural Tourism Development: Countries Jointly Explore Diverse Paths for Global Tourism Industry Growth

From April 14 to 16, the 2025 World Tourism Cities Federation Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit (hereinafter referred to as the Summit) was held in Hong Kong. The Summit was jointly hosted by the World Tourism Cities Federation (hereinafter referred to as WTCF) and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (hereinafter referred to as HK CSTB), and was co-organized by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit is an annual brand event of the WTCF. Themed "Innovative City Branding to Elevate Tourism Excellence", this year's Summit attracted participants from 43 countries and over 60 cities, including representatives from city members, institutional members, international organizations, tourism enterprises, and experts and scholars in the field. They gathered in Hong Kong to provide new ideas and solutions for the global tourism industry in areas such as innovative city branding and enhancing international tourism competitiveness.

Opening Ceremony Venue

Building an International Platform to Pave a Beautiful Path for Global Tourism DevelopmentAs the world's first global international tourism organization focusing on cities, the WTCF has adhered to the core concept of "Better City Life through Tourism" over its 13 years of existence. It actively promotes cooperation and communication among tourism cities, receiving high recognition from industry professionals at home and abroad.

During this critical moment of global economic recovery, the tourism industry is assuming an increasingly prominent role as an important engine for driving consumption and boosting the market. This Summit not only provides a platform for exchanges and cooperation among global tourism cities but also injects inexhaustible momentum into attracting inbound tourism, revitalizing the tourism market, and promoting global economic recovery. The Summit features a rich lineup of activities, including an opening ceremony, the Mayors' Forum, a results release, the City Brand Building and Inbound Tourism Development Forum, the Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum, the Beijing-Hong Kong Travel Fair, and the Beijing Inbound Tourism Policy and Resources Promotion Conference. The event aims to build a high-level, multi-sectoral communication and cooperation platform, leveraging the WTCF's global reach and Hong Kong's advantage as an international regional center.At the opening ceremony, John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that this Summit has gathered mayors and vice mayors of tourism cities from multiple countries around the world, as well as representatives of industry institutions, creating a platform for jointly discussing cross-regional cooperation paths and 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.Tourism industry professionals from around the world have expressed high praise for the WTCF and the successful hosting of this Summit. Maurizio Rasero, Governor of Asti Province and Mayor of Asti City, Italy, believes that the WTCF, as an international tourism organization, plays an irreplaceable role in the global tourism industry. In particular, as the only international tourism organization focusing on cities, the WTCF fully leverages its influence to actively build platforms and broaden channels for communication and cooperation among international tourism destinations. By organizing events and publishing research reports, WTCF has been significantly instrumental in revitalizing and promoting the prosperity of the worldwide tourism sector, as well as advancing the innovative development of tourism cities across the globe.

Significant Achievements in Promoting the Diversified Development of the Tourism Market

At this Summit, a series of significant achievements have emerged, injecting strong momentum into the development of the global tourism industry. On-site, representatives from more than 60 cities in over 40 countries and regions jointly released the Hong Kong Initiative. The Initiative proposes five major directions for promoting high-quality development of the global tourism industry in various tourism cities. It calls on tourism cities to anchor their development incenter on cultural heritage and innovation, harness technology as the driving force, uphold sustainability as the guiding principle, strengthen global cooperation as the pathway, and ensure tourism safety as the foundation, opening up new avenues and providing clear direction and action guidelines for the future development of urban tourism.

Site of the Summit

During the Summit, the Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2025) was officially released, predicting a significant growth for the global tourism industry in 2025, with global tourism revenue expected to increase by 7.9 percent over the levels recorded in 2019. The report highlights that the Asia-Pacific region is emerging as a pivotal, new 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 total of 9.56 billion tourist trips, a year-on-year increase of 19.9 percent, 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, providing support for the growth of the tourism economy in emerging economies and even globally..

As a key component of this Summit, the Beijing-Hong Kong Travel Fair has achieved remarkable results. On site, the Summit meticulously arranged and facilitated more than 570 tourism negotiation sessions involving over 100 buyers and sellers from Beijing and Hong Kong, culminating in nearly CNY 200 million worth of intended transactions. This effort has injected new vitality into the further integration and development of the tourism markets in the two regions and also contributed to the interconnection and win-win cooperation within the global tourism marketplace.

Innovating Brands to Jointly Explore New Paths for Urban Tourism Development

Cities, as crucial carriers of economic development, are increasingly important in tourism development. In 2024, amidst the global economy's sustained growth, numerous tourist cities proactively engaged in diversifying their development strategies and exploring specific paths to promote tourism growth, showcasing the strong resilience of the global tourism economy. Cities like Paris and Berlin have utilized major sporting events such as the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the UEFA European Football Championship to shape their urban tourism images and enhance their global attention. Cities like Beijing and Dubai focus on improving payment convenience and have implemented cashless society strategies to establish efficient, tourist-centered informatization service systems, elevating urban intelligence through smart tourism. Cities such as Jakarta, New York, Shanghai, and Belfast have each leveraged their unique strengths, enhancing their profiles through innovative preservation of cultural heritage, engaging in strategic cooperation to boost urban competitiveness, and developing distinctive tourism to increase urban appeal. These initiatives collectively propel the dynamic growth of the global tourism industry.

Mayors' Forum

City branding is a symbolic expression of a city's cultural values. During the Mayors' Forum session, Karl Wöber, Director of WTCF Experts Committee and President of Modul University Vienna, 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 Rohana, Deputy Municipal Comissioner of Colombo, and Rahma Ouazzani Taibi, Deputy Mayor of Rabat, conducted an in-depth discussion on the topic of "Sustainability and Innovation: Reshaping the Brand of Future Tourism Cities".

In the view of István Ujhelyi, Ambassador of UN Tourism and former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, all members of the WTCF are important components of the United Nations Global Compact. As a globally interconnected sector, tourism requires deep participation of international organizations and member countries, making it crucial to jointly formulate scientifically sound and rational development plans. He proposed three suggestions: first, establishing a global crisis management mechanism; second, jointly discussing global tourism development strategies; and third, developing sustainable and green development strategies to promote the long-term prosperity of the tourism industry.

Athens, as one of the most important city-states in ancient Greece and also the birthplace of European civilization, boasts a rich cultural heritage. Georgios Giannaros, Vice Mayor of Athens, believes that cultural heritage is an important tourism resource. He stated that Athens is striving to protect its historical buildings, cultural heritage, and historically significant roads in the city center through legislation, legal provisions, and government policies. These initiatives aim to shield these landmarks from the adverse impacts of commercialization and have become an important part of the city's tourism sector development.

Hong Kong's robust network of international air routes, its pleasant natural environment, and the blending of Eastern and Western cultures, have collectively contributed to the city's exceptional global prominence and appeal. At the Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum, many participants expressed their admiration, stating, "Hong Kong is an internationally renowned tourist city that travelers aspire to visit." At the event, over 600 industry professionals shared their views on the new directions and trends shaping the future trajectory of Hong Kong's tourism industry, aiming to support its high-quality development. Peter Lam Kin-ngok, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, stated that Hong Kong's infrastructure advantages make it possible to realize "one trip, multi-destination" itineraries. The HKTB will work closely with other cities in the Greater Bay Area to attract more international travelers and showcase the region's unique travel experiences. In discussing the development of Hong Kong's tourism industry, Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy, urged the industry to "proceed with heart" and "start anew", highlighting that "As it develops new products and enhances service systems, the tourism industry cannot neglect its tradition of warm hospitality."

The Summit featured three equally engaging sub-forums: the Tourism City Brand Building and Inbound Tourism Development Forum, the WTCF International Communication Forum, and the "Tourism + Aviation" Integrated Development Forum. Participants discussed various topics, including "Tourism City Brand Building and Inbound Tourism Development", "Digital Empowerment · Cultural and Tourism Integration: Opening a New Ecology of World Tourism Communication", and "Integration and Innovation for Mutual Benefit". They shared cutting-edge concepts and practical cases on themes such as continuously deepening tourism city brand building, enhancing inbound tourism service levels, strengthening communication about tourism cities, and leveraging aviation to boost tourism development. These discussions aimed to explore new paths for the sustainable development of the global tourism industry and help urban tourism achieve a higher level of prosperity globally.

Currently, with the thriving development in cross-border tourism and the deepening cultural exchanges, the demand for technological applications in the tourism consumption market continues to rise. Smart tourism and intelligent services have become new engines reshaping industry development. As the global tourism industry accelerates its recovery, the sector is showing unprecedented vitality and potential as an important engine for economic recovery. It is believed that with the active promotion of many international organizations represented by the WTCF and collaborative efforts from tourism departments and industry associations worldwide, the global tourism industry will accelerate its iteration and upgrade, continuously release its tremendous vitality, and establish the sector as a mainstay for stimulating inbound consumption and promoting global economic recovery and sustainable development.