"Smart Visions for the Future: Reshaping High-End Tourism" — The WTCF European Conference 2025 is Set to Commence

Jointly organized by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), Marbella City Council, the Andalusia Regional Government, and Costa del Sol, the WTCF Europe Conference 2025 will be held in Marbella, Spain, from November 11 to 13, 2025. Under the theme “Smart Visions for the Future: Reshaping High-End Tourism”, the conference will gather over 200 delegates from more than 10 countries and regions. Attendees will include officials from the Spanish National Tourism Board, the Andalusia Regional Government, and Marbella Municipal Government, alongside representatives from WTCF's European member cities and institutions, tourism boards, enterprises, and other industry professionals. Together, they will explore new pathways for the future of global high-end tourism.

Forging New Pathways for Collaborative High-End Tourism

The session will feature leaders from the Chinese Embassy in Spain, the Mayor of Marbella, the WTCF Executive Director, and representatives from Spanish National Tourism and The Andalusia Board, who will deliberate on fostering global tourism connectivity and prosperity. They will be joined by representatives from the United Nations Tourism, the Director of the Brussels Tourism Bureau in Belgium, and the head of the Athens Development and Destination Authority in Greece. Together, they will share national insights to explore new models of international cooperation and advance Europe's regional tourism network.

Unlocking a New Paradigm: Digital Intelligence Empowers High-End Tourism

The conference delved into two pivotal themes: “Global Practice and Local Innovation for the Quality Upgrade of City Tourism” and “Technology Empowering All-Season Operations of High-End Tourism”. A distinguished panel of experts from the WTCF, the Andalusian Tourism Board, member cities of the Federation, international organizations, leading Spanish travel enterprises, and Chinese institutional members of the WTCF engaged in dynamic exchanges. They jointly explore effective ways to enhance the attractiveness of high-end tourist destination cities and international customer acquisition. 

Attendees will gain firsthand insights from top industry figures, including the Director of the Meituan Culture and Tourism Research Institute, the Vice President of Fliggy and a WTCF expert, and the Director of the Production Expansion Center at CCTV Animation Group, will provide over 200 delegates with practical training that combines theory and case studies. The sessions will focus on themes such as “Brand Building of European Tourism in China” and “Customized Destinations with Big Data and AI”. By integrating key trends from China’s tourism consumption market with the application scenarios of digital intelligence technology, this training is designed to enhance the ability of European tourism practitioners to connect with the global high-end market.

Deepening the Precision Linkage of China-Europe Cultural and Tourism Resources

In a dedicated Cultural Tourism Promotion session, the Madrid Chinese Cultural Center, in collaboration with the Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau, will showcase Chinese culture, highlighting Beijing's historical landmarks, seasonal tourism products, and entry facilitation policies, including visa simplification, payment convenience, and multilingual service guarantees. The Andalusia Region and the Costa del Sol Tourism Association will present a curated display of high-end European tourism resources. This session is designed to give European tourism professionals and consumers a direct appreciation of Beijing's cultural and tourism appeal, promote the development of Beijing's inbound tourism, and lay the groundwork for attracting high-end European visitors.

Tourism B2B Matching Session will be dedicated to one-on-one negotiations between Beijing's cultural and tourism enterprises and European travel agencies and destination operators. The session will also feature cooperation memorandum signing ceremonies to help participating enterprises quickly reach cooperation intentions and inject substantive momentum into Beijing's inbound tourism development.

As one of WTCF’s signature regional events jointly organized with city members, the Regional Conferences have been successfully held seven times across the globe since 2017. They have effectively promoted communication and cooperation among members, while enhancing WTCF’s influence and cohesion worldwide. This year’s Europe Conference will be hosted in Marbella, a “gem of high-end tourism in Europe”. Building on WTCF’s tradition of practical, results-oriented collaboration via a comprehensive program of diverse sessions and exchanges, the event will help Marbella further establish itself as a regional hub for tourism cooperation and drive the evolution of Europe’s high-end tourism ecosystem.