Shaping a New Ecosystem for High-End Tourism, Advancing China-EU Cultural Tourism Cooperation— WTCF Europe Regional Tourism Conference 2025 Successfully Concludes in Marbella, Spain

To further activate tourism cooperation between Chinese and European cities and promote the high-quality, sustainable development of the global tourism industry, the WTCF Europe Regional Tourism Conference 2025 was successfully convened in Marbella, Spain from November 11th to13th, jointly organized by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), the Andalucia Tourism Board, Marbella City Council and Costa del Sol Tourism Board.

With the theme “Smart Visions for the Future: Reshaping High-End Tourism”, the conference featured opening speeches, keynote speeches,, thematic forums, cultural tourism promotion, tourism B2B matching, and special training on international tourism destination management. Over 200 government officials, delegates from international organizations, leaders of tourism enterprises, industry experts, and media representatives from 15 countries and regions, including Spain, Belgium, and Greece, attended the event. This European regional conference was held in Marbella, Spain, coinciding with the approaching 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Europe. Through meticulous planning and design, the conference achieved a variety of results, including strengthening urban tourism cooperation, promoting the continuous improvement of the global market, facilitating people-to-people diplomacy, deepening the joint construction of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, attracting high-quality resources, and enhancing the vitality of China’s tourism market.

High-Level Dialogue: Opening a New Chapter in China-Europe Tourism Cooperation

At the opening ceremony, high-level officials from all walks of life in China and Europe gathered to discuss new opportunities for tourism cooperation and to draw up a blueprint for the development of tourism relations between China and Europe. In her welcoming speech, Ángeles Muñoz, Mayor of Marbella, pointed out that Marbella has become an important dialogue bridge between China and Europe, tradition and innovation, tourism and sustainable development. According to data, in the first eight months of 2025, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Spain surpassed 500,000, with an average spending of 2,600 euros per person. This has made a significant contribution to the country’s global tourism GDP. This high-spending, experience-oriented, and sustainable tourist group is precisely the core target customer group of Marbella’s tourism promotion strategy.

Welcome Speech by Ms. Ángeles Muñoz, Mayor of Marbella

Chen Bo, Executive Director of WTCF, stated that since its establishment in 2012, the federation has gathered 257 members from 87 countries and regions, creating a cooperation network that “connects five continents and serves the entire industry”. He offered three suggestions, urging the tourism sectors of China and Europe to embrace digital and intelligent empowerment, cultural and tourism integration, and mutually beneficial win-win outcomes. He called for joint efforts to create a new model of high-end tourism, activate new development drivers, and opening up new avenues for cooperation.

Speech by Mr. Chen Bo, Executive Director of WTCF

Daniel Rosado, Deputy Chief of Strategy at Turespaña, introduced that Spain is strengthening its leading position in the global tourism market through a €3.4 billion national tourism strategic plan. In 2024, it welcomed nearly 94 million tourists and generated 123 billion euros in tourism revenue. In the future, it will continue to deepen its interaction with the Chinese market.

Speech by Mr. Daniel Rosado, Deputy Chief of Strategy, Turespaña

Renée Kachler, Business Development Director of Costa del Sol Tourism Board, stated that the Sun Coast is renowned for its beauty, climate, culture, and enthusiasm, making it a high-end luxury tourist destination. We are deeply committed to high-end tourism, relying on high-quality hotel facilities, security guarantees, and diverse experiences to meet the needs of high-net-worth customers. This European regional conference provides an opportunity for the industry to share practical experiences. We welcome all delegates to exchange insights and jointly explore the development path of high-end tourism.

Speech by Ms. Renée Kachler, Business Development Director of Costa del Sol Tourism Board

Carlos García Giménez, Territorial Delegate for Tourism, Culture, and Sport in Málaga, stated that the global tourism industry is deeply interdependent, and the close connection between the Chinese and European markets opens up broad prospects for cooperation and shared growth. Technology has profoundly transformed the ways of travel, consumption, and destination interaction, driving the industry to shift from a quantity-oriented approach to a quality-oriented one. High-end tourism, which combines exquisite experiences with profound values such as culture and heritage, has become an important vehicle for mutual learning among civilizations.

Speech by Mr. Carlos García Giménez, Territorial Delegate for Tourism, Culture and Sport in Málaga

He Yong, Minister-Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Spain, emphasized that cultural and tourism exchanges are an important bond in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain. In 2024, nearly 650,000 Chinese tourists visited Spain, a year-on-year increase of over 60%, with total consumption exceeding 1.8 billion euros. The number of Spanish tourists visiting China also returned to pre-pandemic levels. The rising popularity of two-way tourism has injected strong momentum into the friendship between the two countries. Carlos García Giménez, Territorial Delegate for Tourism, Culture, and Sport in Málaga, pointed out that the number of international tourists worldwide reached 1.4 billion in 2024. The mutual dependence of Europe and China as tourist destinations and sources of tourists has opened up broad prospects for tourism cooperation between the two countries.

Speech by Mr. He Yong, Minister-Counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Spain

Viewpoint Collision: Exploring New Paths for Empowering High-End Tourism with Digital Intelligence

During the keynote speech and thematic forum sessions, the attending delegates engaged in a lively discussion on the deep integration of digital intelligence technology and high-end tourism, generating many innovative ideas. Ning Guoxin, Vice President of Utour Group, stated that artificial intelligence is reshaping the high-end travel experience. It enables personalized itinerary customization through precise user profiling, adjusts and optimizes itineraries with real-time data, and creates a seamless experience with features such as seamless check-in, intelligent navigation, and barrier-free language communication. He provided an example to introduce the VR experience project created by Utour for Jingdezhen, allowing tourists to immerse themselves in the history and craftsmanship of porcelain culture. The virtual and real superimposed application of VR and AR technologies not only protects the original ecological scenery but also enriches the dimensions of the tourism experience.

At the “Technology Empowering All-Season Operations of High-End Tourism” forum, Ada Xu, Director of International Affairs at Fliggy/Alibaba Group, introduced that Fliggy provides one-stop travel services for Chinese tourists by integrating payment, mapping, logistics, and other resources from Alibaba’s ecosystem. By leveraging AI technology, the platform can accurately identify tourists’ demands, tailor cultural experience products, and provide real-time information services to tourists through digital tools such as “Ask Me”, effectively addressing the seasonal tourism issue. Zhang Bo, General Manager of Qinghai Guoxin International Travel Company, shared practical experience. His company has collaborated with China Telecom and DeepSeek to build an AI customer service system, integrating data on Qinghai’s tourism resources. With warm and intelligent services, it responds to the demands of C-end customers, increasing the order conversion rate from less than 20% to 40% and extending the duration of the local peak tourist season.

“Technology Empowering All-Season Operations of High-End Tourism” Forum

Experts and scholars have also put forward unique insights. Professor Tokumura Shisei from Hangzhou Normal University emphasized that intelligent technology can enhance efficiency, but it cannot replace the emotional connection between people. The “three senses” service of “gratitude, appreciation and touching” is the core to retain tourists. Wolfgang G. Arlt, Executive Director of Meaningful Tourism Centre, pointed out that digital and intelligent technologies should focus on specific fields. For instance, by applying digital technologies and tools, some students have gone to India and Nepal for learning outside the classroom.

“Global Practice and Local Innovation for the Quality Upgrade of City Tourism” Forum

Cooperation Implementation: Chinese and European Enterprises Join Hands to Jointly Expand the Two-Way Tourism Market

The conference focused on practical cooperation. Through cultural tourism promotion, specialized training, and tourism B2B matchmaking, it facilitated the precise matching of tourism resources between China and Europe and promoted multiple cooperation initiatives. During the cultural and tourism promotion session, Beijing’s cultural and tourism resources and facilitation policies, China’s overall cultural and tourism resources and entry policies, as well as the local tourism resources of the Andalusia region and Marbella, were successively presented, providing clear guidance for the market expansion of both sides. The Spanish National Tourism Board will hold a reverse matchmaking event for the Chinese market in the near future, inviting 40 Chinese buyers to gather in Madrid to deepen industry cooperation between China and Spain.

During the special training session, experts such as Lu Mengxi, Dean of the Meituan Culture & Tourism Research Institute, and Tong Teng, Vice President of Fliggy Travel, provided practical guidance to local tourism practitioners on topics such as “Analysis of Consumption Habits and Customer Groups of High-End Chinese Tourists” and “Promotion of European and Marbella Tourism in China and Brand Building of Cultural Tourism”. Fliggy Travel has signed an agreement with the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce to build a cooperation platform and promote more Chinese tourists to visit high-end European tourist destinations. Rocky You, General Manager of Beijing Besttour Travel, stated that the company has set up an office in Marbella and will continue to send high-end Chinese tourists in the future while introducing high-quality European tourism resources.

At the Tourism B2B Matching, Chinese and European enterprises reached multiple cooperation agreements through one-on-one negotiations, the signing of cooperation memorandums, and other forms. Angela Jiang, Vice General Manager of Xiamen C&D Global Tourism Group, explained that in response to the transformation of Chinese tourists from sightseeing tours to in-depth experience tours and from group tours to private customized tours, the company is cooperating with European destinations to develop themed products such as architectural tours and food tours, to meet tourists’ high-quality demands for boutique hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, and folk custom experiences. As a high-end tourism benchmark on the Costa del Sol, Puerto Banús has also reached cooperation agreements with Chinese travel enterprises. Its commercial facilities and ultra-luxury yacht services, which bring together 38 international luxury brands, will further connect with the high-net-worth customer market in China.

People-to-People Connectivity: Integrating Culture and Tourism to Build a Bridge for Friendly Communication Between China and Europe

The integration of culture and tourism is the core consensus of this conference. All the guests present unanimously believe that culture is the soul of high-end tourism and the bond connecting the hearts of the people of China and Europe. Xu Tingting, Subdirector of the China Cultural Center in Madrid, stated that China is attracting more European tourists by optimizing visa policies, enhancing the convenience of mobile payments, and increasing direct flight routes. Currently, there are 61 direct flights between China and Spain. Spain has become one of the most favored European destinations for Chinese tourists. Meanwhile, China’s rich cultural heritage and tourism resources also offer unique experience options for Spanish tourists.

Renée Kachler, Business Development Director of Costa del Sol Tourism Board, stated that the Costa del Sol combines a 3,000-year-old history and culture with unique natural landscapes. From the Picasso Museum and ancient Roman ruins to hiking trails and golf courses, and from Michelin-starred restaurants to health resorts, it achieves a perfect blend of culture, nature, and luxurious experiences. Among the over 70 golf courses in the region, 80% are irrigated with recycled water, providing tourists with high-quality experience under the concept of sustainable development and setting a model for the integration of culture and tourism as well as green tourism.

Chinese travel enterprises are also actively promoting cultural dissemination and experience innovation. Rocky You shared the Beijing Peking Opera Cultural Cycling Experience Project, where tourists can tour the birthplace of Peking Opera with the help of technology by cycling, interact with professional actors, and immerse themselves in the charm of this national treasure of China. Dylan Zhu, Brand Director of Cultural Tourism at Phoenix New Media, explained that ifeng.com has embedded cultural elements into tourism experiences through IP projects such as “Hand Over Time to Shanxi” and “Night Tour of Museums”, and leveraged its global reach with 400 million Chinese-speaking users to promote China’s cultural and tourism resources to the world.

The successful organization of this conference not only established a regular platform for exchanges and cooperation between the tourism industries of China and Europe, but also clarified the high-end tourism development direction of digital intelligence empowerment, culture and tourism integration, and mutual benefit. In the future, the WTCF will continue to play the role of a bridge and link, promoting the efficient allocation of tourism resources between China and Europe, making tourism an important vehicle for promoting mutual learning among civilizations and enhancing friendly relations, and writing a new chapter in the high-quality development of global tourism.