WTA Participates in Global Promotion Conference on Tourism of Shangrao and Visits Shanghai Members

Shanghai, December 6 – The Global Promotion Conference on Tourism of Shangrao themed “Beautiful Shangrao – Comfortable in Nature” was held at the Shanghai International Convention Center. Distinguished attendees included Mr. LIU Shijun, WTA Vice Chair and Secretary-General; JIANG Lihua, a member of the Standing Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shangrao Municipal Committee; ZHANG Qi, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism; and ZHOU Jianwen, Deputy Director of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. The event was chaired by WANG Yong, Deputy Mayor of Shangrao. Representatives from over dozens of cultural tourism enterprises and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) such as China Tourism Group Corporation Limited, Trip.com Group, Little Red Book, Douyin (TikTok), tuniu.com, Qunar.com, and Meituan participated in the conference.

In his speech, Mr. LIU Shijun emphasized the vital role of tourism in economic development and improving people’s livelihoods, reflecting the concept of tourism benefiting the people. Shangrao, leveraging its unique geographical location, transportation advantages, and distinctive cultural tourism resources, has developed a new pattern of comprehensive tourism by establishing and nurturing new scenic areas and business models. Notably, Huangling Scenic Area was honored this year with the “Best Tourism Villages” by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Wangxian Valley Scenic Area was selected for the “2023 WTA Best Practices of Rural Revitalization through Tourism”, a research output jointly released by the WTA and the International Poverty Reduction Center in China. The transformation from a near-extinct impoverished village to one of China’s most beautiful villages and now a world-class tourism destination exemplifies its commitment to shared prosperity through tourism development, offering valuable insights for the global tourism industry’s contribution to economic recovery.

The conference also featured international tourism influencers promoting the “Beautiful Shangrao – Comfortable in Nature” theme, a special presentation on Shangrao’s tourism of intangible cultural heritage, and the launch of Shangrao tourism resources and local specialties. The event concluded with the signing of several projects and a ceremony marking the departure of overseas tour groups to Shangrao.

From December 7-8, the WTA Secretariat visited several member organizations in Shanghai, including Jin Jiang International (Holdings) Co., Ltd., Fosun Tourism Group, China Eastern Airlines Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG), and Shanghai International Theme Park Company Limited (Shanghai Disney Resort). Mr. LIU Shijun briefed on the WTA’s development and next year’s key initiatives aiming at providing valuable services to members. The member units shared their development updates and market trend analyses, expressing a desire for strengthened information exchange and closer cooperation with the WTA.