UNWTO expectant of China's official reopening

25-02-23

The UNWTO has heralded China's reopening as "the final piece in the recovery of tourism" after the biggest crisis in the sector's history.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, leading a high-level delegation to the city of Hangzhou to participate in the official reopening, warmly welcomed the lifting of travel restrictions as a major boost to economic growth and social progress both in Asia-Pacific and worldwide. According to UNWTO data, the pandemic cost destinations around the world a total of $270 billion in Chinese outbound tourism spending in 2020 and 2021 alone. The reopening of the borders is therefore "the moment the world has been waiting for," Pololikashvili said.

The UNWTO secretary-general is the first leader of a UN agency to visit China since the restrictions were lifted. China's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hu Heping, thanked the UNWTO for its support throughout the pandemic and for joining the official reopening celebrations. In a bilateral meeting, Minister Hu Heping and Secretary-General Pololikashvili agreed to further deepen their collaboration on positioning tourism on the international development cooperation agenda and in the key areas of tourism education and tourism for rural development.

According to UNWTO data, China grew to become the world's largest outbound tourism market before the pandemic. In 2019, Chinese tourists spent $255 billion on international travel, while domestic tourism became a pillar of growth and employment, with more than 6 billion trips that year alone, supporting many jobs and businesses across the country.

Tourism for rural development

As part of UNWTO's effort to make tourism a driving force for rural development, the high-level delegation was received in Yucun, one of the four Chinese destinations selected among the "Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO". The village was recognised for its commitment to making tourism a source of local opportunities, as well as for its commitment to eco-tourism and its pioneering approach to waste management in destinations.

Public and private sectors come together to rethink tourism

UNWTO was welcomed as a partner of the Xianghu Dialogue, organised by the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) in the city of Hangzhou. Under the theme "A New Paradigm for a New Tourism", the event brought together leaders from the public and private sectors to rethink the future of the sector in light of the key priorities of sustainability, equity and resilience.

The two-day event addressed key issues such as promoting tourism development through collaboration between countries and regions, international cooperation and poverty reduction through tourism, smart connectivity, destination management and planning, and innovation and new business models. The UNWTO delegation met with private sector leaders, including those from the Hangzhou-based Chinese global technology company Alibaba.

China as a key tourism partner

Over the past year, China has established itself as one of UNWTO's key supporters in several priority areas. These include positive tourism for nature, a concept that UNWTO put on the agenda of the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15), where China served as Chair.

UNWTO will return to China in September for the World Economic Forum on Tourism, to be held in Macao. The tenth edition of the Forum will again provide a platform for governments, business leaders, experts and academics to advance shared plans for sustainable tourism development.