2023.02.26
On February 2 and 3, Hu Heping, Minister of Culture and Tourism of China, met with the new leadership of the World Tourism Alliance in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Minister Hu first thanked Duan Qiang, Chairman of the First WTA Council, and spoke positively of the work done in the past five years. He recognized Mr. Duan’s pioneering work for the Alliance. Over the past five years, under the leadership of Chairman Duan, the Alliance has grown steadily, expanded in size, built an extensive and active network, and held brand events such as Xianghu Dialogue. It has given full play to the role and advantages of think tanks, and worked with them in releasing 20 research results including The Report on World Tourism Development. It has conducted many practices in poverty alleviation and rural revitalization through tourism, and widely shared its experience with the international community, contributing to the realization of global poverty reduction goals and effectively advancing the mission of “promoting peace, development, and poverty reduction through tourism.” Hu hoped that the new leadership would continue to lead the Alliance to consolidate its leading position in the global tourism industry, expand international influence, and actively contribute to bolstering confidence in and the recovery of the global, and promoting the industry’s connectivity and shared governance for shared benefits.
Zhang Xu, the newly-elected Chairman of the WTA, first thanked the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Minister Hu Heping for their support for the Alliance and trust in the Council members on behalf of the new WTA leadership. He said that in the past five years, the global tourism industry had experienced drastic ups and downs, but under the leadership of former Chairman Duan Qiang, the Alliance maintained highly active and enterprising. Today, the Alliance has a long way to go in the face of the strong recovery of the global tourism industry and the urgency to strengthen connectivity and deepen cooperation in the industry. The WTA leadership will stand in unity and lead the Alliance to forge ahead, continue to work on brand events, fight poverty through tourism, conduct industry research, etc., strive to fulfill the mission of the times, and play its due role in the transformation and reshaping of the globaltourism industry.
Prior to the meeting, the WTA held its second General Assembly and the first session of the Second Council. At the latter meeting, Zhang Xu, former Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism of China, was elected Chairman, and Adam Burke, Henri Giscad d’Estaing, Pansy Ho, Liu Shijun, Eduardo Santander and Xu Peng Vice Chairmen.