Wen Wei Po: WTCF and SCO to Boost the “Belt and Road” Tourism Development

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held on May 14th in Beijing. On the morning of May 11th, WTCF Secretary-General Song Yu said in an interview that WTCF and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) will sign a cooperation agreement at the Forum. Goals are to utilize this the historic opportunity, which is further boosted by the Belt and Road Initiative, to carry out tourism cooperation by taking into account SCO members and the Belt and Road planning, to promote the tourism resources of SCO member countries, and to strengthen communication and enhance mutual benefits between the member countries’ tourism cities.

Song Yu said that in the next five years to come, 150 million individuals from China will be able to travel to the Silk Road countries and 85 million individuals from those countries will be attracted to China. All these activities can generate more than 300 billion USD worth of tourism consumption. The region along the “Belt and Road” route is an area with the highest potential for world tourism development. Speaking of the cooperation with SCO, he disclosed that according to the cooperation framework agreement confirmed by both parties, the plan is to publicize China and the rich historical and cultural relics of the countries and cities along the Silk Road Economic Belt and promote the construction of the Belt and Road tourism corridor by holding SCO’s Secretariat Open Day and other activities.

Song Yu pointed out that SCO member countries include many tourism cities and rich cultural relics, which are equipped with the basic conditions for tourism development. He said that in the future, in order to meet the requirements of different tourists, WTCF and SCO will further explore the cultures and traditions of different counties, regions, and ethnic groups, launch more diversified high-quality tourism products, develop a batch of boutique tour packages, promote the tourism resources of SCO member countries, and strengthen communication and enhance mutual benefits between the member countries’ tourism cities.