2024.10.30
Sanya, October 30 – The World Tourism Alliance (WTA) Annual Meeting 2024 took place at Atlantis Sanya, bringing together over 300 members and distinguished guests from around the world to discuss key developments and future directions for global tourism.
The meeting was attended by WTA Chair Mr. ZHANG Xu, Vice Chairs Mr. Adam BURKE, Ms. Pansy HO, Mr. Eduardo SANTANDER, and Mr. XU Peng, and chaired by WTA Vice Chair and Secretary-General Mr. LIU Shijun. Special guests included Mr. KÖNNYID László, CEO of Hungarian Tourism Agency; Mr. UJHELYI István, Chairman of EU-China One Belt One Road Culture, Tourism, Education and Economic Development Committee; and Mr. Stanley BANDA, Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe to China.
The agenda covered a review of the 3rd Session of the 2nd WTA Council, Report on WTA General Program of Work for 2024 and Draft Program of Work for 2025, and a presentation of New Member Certificates. The meeting also featured reports on major projects such as the “2024 WTA Best Practices of Rural Revitalization through Tourism” and “Developing Local Communities through Sustainable TourismDevelopment Roadmap”. This year’s annual meeting provided an in-depth review of WTA’s efforts in areas such as foundational growth, brand development, poverty alleviation through tourism, and industry research.
Throughout 2024, WTA has actively organized key brand events and industry studies to strengthen international tourism cooperation and inclusivity, supporting sustainable global tourism development. In the coming year, WTA will continue to uphold its mission of “Better Tourism, Better Life, Better World”, leveraging its unique position as a non-governmental international tourism organization to drive global tourism prosperity and sustainable development.