Day Two of the “Xianghu Dialogue” Explores Cross-Sector Innovation and Tech Synergies

The 2025 WTA • Xianghu Dialogue continued on November 20 with a diverse agenda dedicated to cross-sector collaboration and technological innovation. The day featured 27 global tourism leaders, including WTA Vice Chair Mr. Adam BURKE, President and CEO of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board; Mr. Peter SEMONE, Chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association; Mr. ZHUANG Zhuoran, Vice President of Alibaba Group and CEO of Fliggy; and Mr. Benny Wang, Senior Vice President of Trip.com Group. Discussions centered on two key themes: Cross-Sector Co-Creation — New Business Models Shaping the Landscape of Tourism and Technology Synergies — Empowering New Scenarios of Tourism. The program included six keynote speeches and four panels, diving into trending areas such as sports events, cross-border tourism consumption, the nexus of tourism and education, the digital transformation of tourism enterprises, and the rural structural transformation through tourism.

Mr. Adam BURKE, WTA Vice Chair, President and CEO of Los AngelesTourism & Convention Board, delivered a speech titled "Leveraging the Power of Major Sporting Events to Promote Community Development"

Mr. Peter SEMONE, Chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, delivered a speech titled "China Tourism 2035: Co-Creating a Sustainable and Smart Future"

Thematic Dialogue focused on "Where Tourism Meets Education: A Journey of Cross-Sector Growth"
Moderator: Dr. ZHANG chaozhi, Director of Research Center for Heritage Revitalization and Sustainable Tourism Development, Fudan University
Panelists:
Mr. Brent lmrie, President of the Student & Youth Travel Association
Ms. Carylann Assante, CEO of the Student & Youth Travel Association
Ms. SUN Guizhen, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of China Association of Travel Services

Mr. Rajat Maheshwari, Senior Vice President of Mastercard Asia/Pacific Pte. Ltd., gave a speech on "Cross-Border Tourism Consumption Upgrade:Experience-Driven,Tech-Empowered,and Sustainable New Landscape"

Panel focused on "Cross-Sector Tourism Integration: New Consumption and Experience lnnovation"
Moderator: Mr. WANG Kan, Research Fellow of the Tourism Research Center at Capital Universityof Economics and Business
Panelists:
Mr. Charles Tan, Secretary-General of National Association of Travel Agents Singapore
Ms. Lucy LU, General Manager of the Cultural Tourism Industry, Meituan
Ms. Ludivine Destrée, Senior Marketing Manager and China Expert of the European Travel Commission
Ms. Jeanette Chen, Vice President, LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort
Ms. Mika Cui, CEO of Roca Culture & Tourism(Beijing) Media Technology Co., Ltd., Co-Founder of Qyer,Secretary-General of Professional Committee of Rural Revitalization, China Association of Travel Services
Ms. AN Li, Vice President and Head of Public Policy of Airbnb China

Mr. Emmanuel Mounier, Secretary-General of Global Travel Tech, delivered a speech titled "Travel Tech: Shaping Tomorrow’s Tourism in a Shifting Regulatory Landscape"

Mr. ZHUANG Zhuoran, Vice President of Alibaba Group, CEO of Fliggy, delivered a speech titled "Towards Next-Generation Travel Intelligence:Experience First, Evolving Pragmatically"

Mr. Jost Neumann, Program Coordinator of UN Tourism- Tourism, delivered a speech titled "An Accelerator for Structural Transformation in Rural Areas?"

Thematic Dialogue focused on "The Digital Transformation Path of Tourism Enterprises"
Moderator: Mr. Charlie Li, CEO of TravelDaily China
Panelists:
Mr. WANG Wei, President of Shanghai SpringInternational Travel Service(Group) Co., Ltd.
Mr. Benny Wang, Senior Vice President of Trip.com Group
Mr. FANG Tengfei, Vice President of Tencent Cloud, Head of Tencent Smart Culture and Tourism

Panel focused on "New Trends in Tourism Technology"
Moderator：Mr. JIANG Lieyi, CEO of Future Plus Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
Panelists:
Ms. Sarah Wang, Regional Director for Asia of theWorld Travel & Tourism Council
Mr. ZHANG Hang, Senior Vice President of iQIYI
Mr. Elio Wang, GM Brand & Three-Body Universe LBE of Three-Body Universe (Shanghai) Cultural Development Co., Ltd.
Mr. ZHOU Wei, Director of Culture and Tourism Development Center (Tourism Economy Lab), Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism, China
Mr. XIAO Wei, Business Director of Loong Air