Lijiang, Yunnan Province – The World Tourism Alliance (WTA) held its "WTA Members' Day • Lijiang" on May 25th. The event was organized by WTA, co-hosted by the Lijiang Municipal People's Government and Beijing Qiongyou Tianxia Technology Co., Ltd., and implemented by the Lijiang Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Roca Cultural Tourism. Distinguished attendees including Liu Shijun, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the WTA, Bai Sizuo, Deputy Inspector of the Department of Resource Development of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Pu Hong, Secretary of the Lijiang Municipal Party Committee, Rao Xiangbi, Party Group Member and Deputy Director of the Yunnan Provincial Culture and Tourism Department gave speeches to the audience, other guests include Henri Giscard d'Estaing and Xu Peng, Vice Chair of WTA, and other representatives from the WTA, domestic cultural and tourism administrations, enterprises, associations, as well as news and media outlets.

To drive the global tourism recovery and further deepen the collaboration between China and Spain in tourism, the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) is partnering with the Spanish Tourism Authority (TURESPAÑA) to host the "World Tourism Alliance • China-Spain Tourism Dialogue" in Madrid on July 3, 2023, under the aegis of the 2023 China-Spain Culture and Tourism Year. In preparation for this event, a delegation led by Liu Shijun, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the WTA, recently visited Madrid for a working meeting with TURESPAÑA, the Chinese Embassy in Spain, Turisme de Barcelona, and other stakeholders to discuss progress on event planning.

On April 26-27, 2023 local time, at the invitation of the APEC Secretariat, Liu Shijun, Vice Chair and Secretary-General of the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), led a delegation to the 61st APEC Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting held in Iloilo, Philippines.

On April 26, the 11th Dunhuang Tour – Silk Road International Tourism Festival, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the People’s Government of Gansu Province, held a grand opening ceremony in Zhangye, Gansu. WTA Chairman Zhang Xu, and Zhang Yongxia, a member of the Standing Committee of Gansu Provincial Committee of the CPC and Director-General of the Publicity Department of the Provincial Committee of the CPC, attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Over the decade, 151 countries and 32 international organizations have joined the BRI, constantly expanding and deepening people-to-people ties. Leveraging the development of the BRI across the past 10 years, the culture and other BRI countries have achieved unprecedented connectivity, adding distinctive BRI characteristics to global cultural diversity. Over the decade, China has signed cooperation agreements or memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on culture and tourism with 142 BRI countries and implemented the important program “Cultural Silk Road”. Its “circle of friends” continues expanding along with the increase of its partners.

On April 6th, WTA Chair Mr. ZHANG Xu met Mr. Henri Giscard d’Estaing, WTA Vice Chair and President of Club Med, in Beijing and exchanged views with the latter on issues of mutual interest.

On March 26, the 2023 Shandong Tourism Development Conference opened at Qingdao International Convention Center. Lin Wu, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of CPC, announced the opening of the conference. The attendees included Zhou Naixiang, Deputy Party Secretary and Governor of Shandong; Du Jiang, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism; Zhang Xu, WTA Chairman; Chen Yin, Chairman of China Tourism Group; Liu Shijun, WTA Vice Chairman and Secretary-General; and Oh Young-hun, Governor of Jeju Self-Governing Province, Republic of Korea. The opening ceremony was chaired by Lu Zhiyuan, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPC and Secretary of Qingdao Municipal Committee of the CPC.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, the “2023 Discover China Cultural Tour” kicked off in Beijing on March the 21st. Hu Heping, Minister of Culture and Tourism of China, attend the launching ceremony together with 73 diplomats and envoys from 49 countries. Pansy Ho, Vice Chair of WTA, and Liu Shijun, WTA Vice Chair and Secretary-General were invited to join the participating ambassadors, heads of cultural and tourism organizations and enterprises in launching the program for the whole year by operating the activation device on the stage.

On March 20th, Mr. Liu Shijun, the Vice Chair and Secretary-General of the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) attended a meeting with Mr. Fahd M. Hamidaddin, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and CEO of the Tourism Authority of Saudi Arabia in Beijing at the latter’s invitation. The two exchanged views on future plans of cooperation through the platforms and initiatives of WTA.

Insight & Inspirations | China Re-Opens: Investing in Tourism for Jobs, Growth and Rural Development