2023.10.23
From October 17th to 20th, at the invitation of the Secretariat of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mr. LIU Shijun, Vice Chair & Secretary-General of the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), led a delegation to attend the 25th session of the UNWTO General Assembly and related events in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as an observer.
The 25th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly
The UNWTO, a leading international organization in the field of tourism, is a specialized agency of the United Nations. The General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the UNWTO, convenes every two years to review critical matters, update the global community on the latest in world tourism, and strategize for the future. This assembly’s agenda included evaluating UNWTO’s operations, financial reports, HR endeavors, the establishment status of the “Redesigning Tourism for the Future” task force, progress on regional and thematic offices, and the status of affiliate members. Several executive members for the new term were also approved during the event.
Best Tourism Villages Award Ceremony
During the five-day assembly, apart from the regular mechanism-based meetings like the 119th and 120th Executive Council and regional committee meetings, in-depth discussions were held on education, innovation, investment, and sustainability in tourism. On the morning of October 19th, the UNWTO “Best Tourism Villages” award ceremony was successfully held. Four villages from China – Jiangxi’s Huangling Village, Zhejiang’s Xiajiang Village, Gansu’s Zhagana Village, and Shaanxi’s Zhujiawan Village – were named the Best Tourism Villages of 2023. Additionally, Professor BAO Jigang, Director of the Center for Tourism Development and Planning Research at Sun Yat-sen University, received the 16th Ulysses Prize, becoming the first Chinese scholar to win this honor.
During the assembly, Mr. LIU Shijun engaged with representatives from various governments, international institutions, and enterprises. He provided insights into the WTA’s growth and extended an invitation to the attendees for the “WTA • Xianghu Dialogue”, scheduled to be held from November 14th to 17th in Hangzhou.