2024-07-11
Ms. Pansy HO, WTA Vice Chair, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the GTEF and Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Shun Tak Holdings Ltd., delivered a keynote speech titled “China – EU Tourism Investment and Development Potential” in the “Europe-China Tourism Dialogue” successfully held in Budapest, Hungary. Below are the key points from her speech.
The “Europe-China Tourism Dialogue” underscored the crucial role of international cooperation, providing a significant platform to identify new trends, directions, and opportunities for enhancing tourism, investment, and development between China and the European Union.
China and Europe are two great civilizations with a long history of friendly exchanges. From the Silk Road over a thousand years ago, there has been a deliberate effort to build bridges, explore each other’s landscapes and cultures despite geographical barriers. Notably, Hungary, the host country for this dialogue, was the first European country to sign an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with China under the “Belt and Road” initiative. Today, as we gather here, we recognize the immense potential for China and Europe to expand and deepen their friendship. Looking forward, we must take concrete actions together, strengthening cooperation in trade and other areas to establish a high-quality and sustainable tourism ecosystem. This requires focusing on several key areas and initiating relevant plans immediately.
Firstly, rebranding cultural tourism is crucial. We are currently presented with an excellent opportunity to rebrand cultural tourism by investing in upgrades and enhancing experiences to showcase rich cultural elements and heritage. According to UN Tourism estimates, cultural tourism accounts for more than 40% of the global tourism industry, and this trend is on the rise. Surveys also indicate that 73% of “Millennials” prefer cultural and historical site tours. This is encouraging news, as there were concerns that younger generations might lose interest in history. We must leverage technology and creative solutions to showcase rich cultural elements and heritage, ultimately fostering new opportunities and approaches in cultural tourism. Currently, we are promoting the construction of a museum themed around the “Silk Road” in Macau, partnering with large mainland enterprises to create a digital and immersive experience that displays artifacts and crafts, allowing visitors to experience the charm and legend of the ancient Silk Road. In this project, we commit to staying at the forefront of technology applications, creating new focal points for cultural tourism. Additionally, taking advantage of this year’s 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations, we plan to facilitate cooperation between the Guimet Museum in France and the Dunhuang Academy in Gansu. Together, we will utilize our rich collections, transforming drawings, documentaries, and important documents of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves into digital assets through digital technology, establishing a digital collection to provide visitors with an immersive experience.
Secondly, innovation is key. Today, China has become one of the world’s largest tourism markets, with billions of domestic tourists each year. This vast market is full of opportunities, and we should fully utilize this advantage to deepen global tourism exchanges and cooperation, jointly developing more tourism resources and products to offer tourists richer and more diverse choices. There are countless peripheral products that can lead to new capabilities, and we must continue to explore cultural tourism opportunities through creative solutions. Investors need to be at the forefront of promoting innovation. For instance, to bring French art, performances, and cultural experiences to China, we have collaborated with professional institutions to create immersive digital exhibitions. People can not only view digital images but also use various AR and VR devices, fostering a deeper appreciation for culture. Investors can accelerate the adoption of new technologies and establish partnerships to expand the appeal to different market segments.
Thirdly, we must optimize infrastructure. To ensure genuine economic prosperity and shape a sustainable and competitive tourism economy, we must establish a foundation that attracts long-term investors, rather than merely pursuing profits. For this reason, infrastructure must be strengthened, which plays a vital role in attracting tourists. As one of the main investors in tourism infrastructure, we continuously optimize our chain hotel services. Connectivity is not only reflected in the number of flights but also in the efficient and environmentally friendly use of resources. It is recommended to explore multi-destination travel modes such as “one trip, multiple stops” to meet tourists’ diverse and personalized travel needs. China has always been at the forefront of creative transformation and innovative development, introducing more convenient entry policies for tourists. We hope European tourists take advantage of these policies to have better experience in China. Similarly, given Europe’s well-developed infrastructure, Chinese tourists can easily explore different cities within the EU.
Let us harness the power of technology and digitization to create high-quality, high-return, and high-efficiency tourism experiences while achieving sustainable development to protect our ecosystems and economy.