From Dialogue to Signings, From Beijing to the World

From September 8 to 11, the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2026 will be held at Shougang Park in Beijing. Representatives and cross-border travel traders from over 50 countries and regions and more than 50 cities worldwide will gather at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) for a cultural-tourism event themed “Smart Tourism, Shared Prosperity”

From September 8 to 11, the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2026 will be held at Shougang Park in Beijing. Representatives and cross-border travel traders from over 50 countries and regions and more than 50 cities worldwide will gather at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) for a cultural-tourism event themed “Smart Tourism, Shared Prosperity”

Tourism ranks among the most dynamic segments of global trade in services. Stared in 2020, the conference, hosted by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), has been held for six consecutive editions under the platform of CIFTIS. It draws global tourism cities’ attention to Beijing time and again, and integrates tourism, a key sector of trade in services, into China’s narrative of high level opening-up to the outside world.

For many overseas visitors, Beijing is the first stop on their China trip. In recent years, with easier visa free access and more international flights, inbound tourism in China has kept growing. Beijing's role as an international exchange hub and an inbound gateway has become increasingly prominent. But the conference offers more than visibility. It uses Beijing as a model to show global tourism cities how cooperation can move from dialogue and exchanges to real results. 

On WTCF’s annual calendar, the Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit focuses on “dialogue”: city mayors, corporate executives and academic leaders take the floor to assess industry frontiers and envision future trends. By contrast, the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development held alongside CIFTIS prioritizes “delivery”: industry insights and strategies are translated into tangible cultural tourism products and industrial results embodied in signed agreements. 

This year's conference is all about “turning plans into action”. Over 80 leading overseas tour operators, OTAs and TMCs will hold direct talks with 110-plus Beijing inbound agencies, hotels and cultural-tourism tech firms. Over ten inbound tourism projects will be signed on site. Among them, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and China Daily will release "China Bound · Beijing", a guide showcasing Beijing's inbound resources and offering pre-trip and on-trip info for overseas visitors. Beijing Badaling Cultural and Tourism Group will sign a Memorandum of Cooperation with Mastercard. Drawing on the Great Wall, a world cultural heritage site, Badaling’s well established tourism services and Mastercard’s global payment network, the Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area will become China's first "World Cultural Heritage Inbound Payment Demonstration Scenic Area".

The world's first ISO international standard “Brand Evaluation-Tourism City”, complete with 121 tertiary evaluation criteria, will also be unveiled on site. It transforms the theoretical provisions of the world's first ISO evaluation standard for tourism cities into actionable assessment metrics. Meanwhile, the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2025-2026), which evaluates hundreds of global cities under the "1+6" evaluation framework, will be officially released at the conference.

The conference theme "Smart Tourism, Shared Prosperity" promotes a cooperation model where everyone benefits. For the cultural-tourism sector, the goal is not about winners and losers, but about expanding the market together. Inside the venue, a range of innovations are on display, including AIGC immersive installations, AR translation glasses, 3D holographic digital humans and exoskeleton wearables. Digital intelligence technologies are redefining the boundaries of travel experiences. Outside, the reach of cooperation extends even further.

In June this year, WTCF’s Member House was officially inaugurated, conceived as an always open International City Lounge. It enables year-round physical exhibition and matchmaking for members’ cultural-tourism resources beyond conference dates. For this event, the lounge has been relocated in its entirety to the lawn at Shougang Park. Nine representative international tourism destinations set up independent booths to promote local resources. Exhibition zones for Air China, Mastercard and Badaling cultural and creative products demonstrate international air route and cross border payment solutions under the theme “Global Travel · Convenient Payments”, with Air China running live promotional streams throughout the event. Resource showcases and matchmaking exchanges, activities traditionally confined to conference periods, are turned into accessible, everyday opportunities.

The conference also presents a fuller picture of Beijing to the world. When overseas tourists think of Beijing, they mostly picture the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. This time, overseas travel traders will go on field visits to Dongcheng, Shijingshan, Changping, Yanqing and Huairou. They will take themed tours covering smart cultural tourism, historical sites, rural folk customs, natural landscapes and MICE, and engage directly with Beijing's diverse cultural tourism offerings. The conference introduces the "One Conference, Serving One District" mechanism, with this edition focusing on Yanqing. Signature resources like the Badaling Night Great Wall are promoted to international source markets. Moving from Beijing's landmarks to its many facets represents not only an expansion of inbound tourism supply but also a global demonstration: deep cross border tourism cooperation can start with updated perceptions.

From dialogue to signings, from conference to routine, from landmarks to full urban coverage. On September 8 to 11, the Conference on World Tourism Cooperation and Development 2026 is about to open at Shougang Park, Beijing. This gathering, centred on “harmony” and shared success, is writing "Shared Prosperity" into the next chapter of global cultural-tourism cooperation.