WTCF Co-Hosts the 51st ITB Berlin Convention

- WTCF Hosts a World Tourism Economy Trends 2017 & Chinese Outbound Tourism” Forum at the ITB Berlin 2017

On March 8, 2017, the 51st International Tourism Exchange Berlin (ITB) was officially opened in Berlin. As the co-host of 2017 ITB, World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) led a delegation to attend ITB and hosted a forum with the theme of “World Tourism Economy Trends 2017 & Chinese Outbound Tourism.”

Yan Han, Deputy Secretary-General of WTCF, delivers opening remarks

At the opening ceremony in the morning, Yan Han, Deputy Secretary-General of WTCF, was invited to deliver opening remarks as the co-host of ITB. In his speech, Yan extended warm congratulations on the opening of the 51st ITB, and introduced the latest development of WTCF. Yan illustrated the trends in China’s outbound tourism market and highlighted the significance of releasing the Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2017). Yan concluded by extending a warm welcome to all the global tourism cities and tourism enterprises to participate in the upcoming 2017 WTCF Los Angeles Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit.

Song Rui, Director of Tourism Research Center of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), introduces the Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2017)

He Shengkang, Counselor of WTCF, introduces the Market Research Report on Chinese Outbound Tourist (City) Consumption (2015-2016)

Jenny Cai, WTCF Director-General of Public Relations & Brand Marketing Department, introduces media service available to WTCF members

Richard Matuzevich, Senior Manager, Secretariat of WTCF, moderates the forum themed “World Tourism Economy Trends 2017 & Chinese Outbound Tourism”

On the afternoon of March 8th, WTCF hosted a forum themed “World Tourism Economy Trends 2017 & Chinese Outbound Tourism” which was moderated by Richard Matuzevich, Senior Manager, Secretariat of WTCF. Yan Han, Deputy Secretary-General of WTCF delivered an opening speech to welcome all guests to the forum. On behalf of WTCF and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Song Rui, Director of Tourism Research Center of CASS, released the Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2017). In her speech, Song introduced 8 trends in the Development of World Tourism Economy. She also illustrated how a booming Chinese outbound tourism market would benefit other cities in the rest of the world. He Shengkang, Counselor of WTCF, introduced Market Research Report on Chinese Outbound Tourist (City) Consumption (2015-2016), a research jointly conducted by WTCF and IPSOS. Jenny Cai, WTCF Director-General of Public Relations & Brand Marketing Department introduced WTCF We-media platform and media service available to WTCF members.

Zhang Jianhua, Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality, introduces the status of tourism development in Guangzhou

WTCF City Member Guangzhou was invited to promote its tourism resources during the panel discussion. Zhang Jianhua, Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality, introduced the status of tourism development in Guangzhou, which attracted attention of delegates.

Panel discussion

More than 200 delegates participating in the forum

During the forum that attracted more than 200 delegates, a special panel discussion with the theme of “Chinese Outbound Tourism 2017: Market Reform and Trends” was set up to address issues in Chinese outbound tourism market and its implications for the world tourism market. Panelists included Wu Qingsong, Deputy Director-General of Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality; Gonzalo Robredo, Director of Buenos Aires Tourism Administration; Miodrag Popovic, Acting Director of Belgrade Tourism Organization; and Song Rui, Director of Tourism Research Center of CASS. Delegates from many cities and enterprises exhibited great interest in the forum and exchanged their views with WTCF during the break, looking forward to further cooperation in the future.

A meeting with Mayor of City of Seville

During the ITB Convention, WTCF had fruitful talks with Prof. Dr. Roland Conrady, Scientific Director of the ITB Berlin Convention and University of Applied Sciences Worms; Zoran Jankovi?, Mayor of Ljubljana, capital city of Slovenia; Prof. Martin Barth, President & CEO of World Tourism Forum Lucerne; Barcelona tourism administration; and the Mayor of the City of Seville.

Yan Han, Deputy Secretary-General of WTCF talks with Prof. Dr. Roland Conrady, Scientific Director of the ITB Berlin Convention and University of Applied Sciences Worms

WTCF talks with Zoran Jankovi?, Mayor of Ljubljana

As the world leading Travel Trade Show, ITB Berlin has been acclaimed for its professionalism, diversity, and efficiency. ITB Berlin 2017 covers an area of 16,000 m2 with 1,092 exhibition stands, which attracted delegates from more than 10,000 enterprises and more than 184 countries and regions, and exhibits the latest tourism products and trends in the world.

As the Vice-Chair City of the WTCF Council, Berlin has played a major role in facilitating the growth of WTCF which, by attending ITB Berlin and co-hosting ITB since 2016, will forge a better partnership with its European members and enhance its reputation in the international tourism industry.