WTA Chair ZHANG Xu Meets with ETC Executive Director Eduardo SANTANDER

Budapest, July 3 – The Europe-China Tourism Dialogue, co-hosted by the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), the European Travel Commission (ETC), and the Hungarian Tourism Agency (HTA), commenced today in Budapest, Hungary. Prior to the official launch, Mr. ZHANG Xu, WTA Chair, held a meeting with Mr. Eduardo SANTANDER, Executive Director of the European Travel Commission, to discuss enhancing tourism cooperation between Europe and China.

Mr. ZHANG Xu emphasized that Europe has always been a key focus area for the WTA’s activities. Besides the Chinese mainland, Europe boasts the largest number of active and closely cooperative WTA members. Since the end of 2023, twelve European countries have joined China’s visa-free policy, significantly boosting tourism exchanges. The ongoing “Europe-China Tourism Dialogue” demonstrates the enthusiasm and expectations of stakeholders from both sides for the future of the tourism industry. Mr. ZHANG expressed his hope that the WTA and ETC would continue to deepen their cooperation, promoting cultural and tourism exchanges between Europe and China under a framework of comprehensive, mutually beneficial, and friendly relations.

Mr. Eduardo SANTANDER highlighted the crucial role of tourism in fostering people-to-people exchanges, enhancing cohesion, and reducing conflicts between nations. With China’s expanding visa-free policies and improvements in payment conveniences for foreign tourists, the inbound tourism market in China is witnessing remarkable growth. Europe and China are significant source markets and tourist destinations for each other, presenting immense potential for tourism cooperation. The European Travel Commission is keen to further its collaboration with the World Tourism Alliance to support the recovery, revitalization, and sustainable development of tourism between Europe and China.

The meeting was attended by notable figures including Mr. GONG Tao, Ambassador of China to Hungary; Mr. LIU Shijun, Vice Chair and Secretary-General of the WTA; and Ms. Marlène BARTES, Policy Officer in charge of Tourism at the European Commission (DG GROW).