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Construction of the World Tourism Alliance Headquarters as a Task of Lasting Importance

2019.03.28

Speech by Liu Shijun, Secretary General of the World Tourism Alliance, at the launching ceremony of the World Tourism Alliance Headquarters Project

Respected Vice Governor Cheng Yuechong & Mayor Xu Liyi,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen:

Good afternoon! In the late Spring of March, when grass is luxuriant and orioles fly around, we are gathering here in Hangzhou for the launching ceremony of the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) Headquarters Project. On behalf of Chairman Duan Qiang and all members of WTA, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the guests and friends. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as well as the Party Committees and governments of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou City and Xiaoshan District for their strong support to WTA’s development and the construction of its Headquarters.

The WTA Headquarters has settled in Xiaoshan, which fully reflects the international vision of WTA and Zhejiang Province. In spite of strong economic and cultural strength, Zhejiang also boasts very rich tourism resources and a fast-developing tourism industry. Zhejiang has depicted a grand blueprint for social and economic development as well as urban construction with big ambition and great ideas. Xianghu Lake, where the WTA Headquarters is located, has a profound cultural heritage and natural scenery. It can be predicted that WTA will become the most beautiful business card in Xiaoshan, Hangzhou and even Zhejiang. From here, it will go to the world and influence the world.

Though WTA only has a short history of a year and a half, its development momentum is obvious. For more than a year, it has been committed to establishing channels and platforms for communication, cooperation and mutual benefit among the government, academia and media. WTA has successfully held a variety of events, such as The First Great Rivers Civilization Forum for Tourism, SCO Tourism Cooperation Symposium, and the Lighting Ceremony of 2018 EU-China Tourism Year. It is worth mentioning that the “WTA· Xianghu Dialogue” debuted last year under the strong support of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou City and Xiaoshan District. The meeting has gathered global consensus, achieved fruitful results and attracted attention from all sides. This year, the preparatory work for the second “Xianghu Dialogue” has been launched. Through continuous efforts, we plan to build it into an important brand event of WTA with considerable influence in the international tourism industry. In terms of data services, WTA will regularly release a series of reports reflecting the development trend of China’s tourism market, and regularly publish survey reports on the prosperity index of China’s tourism market, establishing a long-term data tracking and evaluation mechanism. WTA will also work together with the relevant institutions to release the Data Analysis Report of China’s Inbound Tourism[1]?. In the near future, we intend to organize Members’ Day activities in cooperation with our members such as Club Med, HBCT and Airbnb in Nice of France as well as Enshi of Hubei Province and Guilin of Guangxi Province to enhance the activeness and stickiness of members. At present, the total number of WTA members has reached 182, which are from 38 countries and regions.

As an old saying goes: “A single thread cannot be spun into a cord, and a single tree cannot create a forest”. The achievements of WTA are impossible without the concern and support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and are also inseparable from the assistance of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou City and Xiaoshan District. We have every reason to build the WTA Headquarters as the foundation for the long-term development of WTA. WTA will actively cooperate and provide necessary support in the relevant aspects to promote the successful construction of its Headquarters as well as the successful implementation of various cooperation between WTA and Zhejiang Province.

Today, the construction of the WTA Headquarters, a milestone project in the history of WTA’s development, was started and our “new home” is just around the corner. We are willing to join hands and forge ahead in the spirit of craftsmanship, so as to create an enduring masterpiece. We are confident that the WTA Headquarters will become the “Member Service Home” of WTA, the gate of cultural communication in Hangzhou, as well as the window of image display for Xiaoshan.

To conclude, I wish the launching ceremony a complete success, and I wish you all success in work and happiness in life. Thank you!