A Mid-Autumn Festival Greeting from the World Tourism Cities Federation

The Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived once again. On the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the full moon shines over cities across the globe. On this traditional festival of reunion and remembrance, the World Tourism Cities Federation extends its warmest greetings to its 270 members worldwide and to all who love to travel.

"The moon rises over the sea; 

we share this moment though far apart."

The Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived once again. On the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the full moon shines over cities across the globe. On this traditional festival of reunion and remembrance, the World Tourism Cities Federation extends its warmest greetings to its 270 members worldwide and to all who love to travel. 

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for reunion, and also a time for encounter. For centuries, Chinese people have entrusted their longing for home and loved ones to the full moon — "the moon is always brighter in one's hometown." For travelers, however, no destination is truly distant: every city that greets us with sincerity can become a "second home" in our hearts, and every arrival across mountains and seas is a beautiful encounter with a city and its civilization. This is the very charm of travel: it turns the unfamiliar into familiar, and distant lands into places we call home.

Since its founding, WTCF has remained committed to the vision that "tourism makes city life better," connecting cities and organizations through tourism and promoting mutual learning and cooperation among cities worldwide. Today, our membership spans the globe — 270 members forming a "tourism circle of friends" that bridges East and West. Wherever we are, the moon above us speaks a common language: it bears witness to the growth and prosperity of every city, and to the friendship and cooperation among our members.

Tourism fosters cooperation, and cooperation brings people closer. In 2026, two of WTCF's flagship events were held in Beijing. In June, the WTCF Beijing Xiangshan Tourism Summit, themed "Digital Intelligence Leading the Future of Tourism," brought together delegates from 56 countries and regions and 73 cities to envision the future of global tourism in the digital age. In September, the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2026 opened under the CIFTIS platform with the theme "Digital Renewal, Harmony and Win-Win," gathering member cities, international organizations and travel operators from more than 50 countries and regions to advance connectivity and practical cooperation across tourism markets. From dialogue to signings, from Beijing to the world — tourism is becoming a bridge that connects cities, civilizations and the future.

"Though separated by vast distance, 

we are as close as neighbors."

On this night of the full moon, may the moonlight carry our best wishes to you: a happy Mid-Autumn Festival to the people of our member cities — may your families be reunited, and may joy and wellbeing be with you always. Let us walk hand in hand, connect the world through tourism, and make city life better together.

World Tourism Cities Federation

 Mid-Autumn Festival, 2026