On the afternoon of September 2, the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2023 (the Conference) kicked off at the China National Convention Center. Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, Mayor of Beijing, and Chairman of the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Yin said that this year has witnessed the overall recovery and robust growth of the world's tourism industry, while Beijing's tourism industry is also bouncing back rapidly with abundant supply and high demand. At this turning point when the global tourism industry is moving from recovery to high-quality development, we must work together to upgrade the industry faster for sustainable recovery and development. He proposed to embrace new market trends by shifting the industry faster from a scenic resource-driven one to a market-oriented one that meets people's needs for a better life. More high-quality new products should be launched to create a consumer-friendly climate. Empowered by digintelligent technologies, cultural resources will be available online and in the cloud, and tourism projects will be accessible on screens and social media. More high-quality tourism supplies will be available in the market, with more application scenarios of intelligent tourism and new service models. Efforts will be ramped up to foster a new type of consumption characterized by "mutual reinforcement between culture and tourism", and integrate the culture and tourism industries. Urban history and culture will be creatively transformed and promoted by bringing back to life artifacts in museums and words in ancient manuscripts, as an effort to encourage mutual learning among civilizations. We will intensify cooperation among tourism cities in platform building, resource sharing, and visitor interaction, help each other in tourism promotion, and work together to develop quality tourism routes. This will help create a cooperative and mutually beneficial tourism ecosystem so that cities can better share new opportunities in the tourism market. It is hoped that all members and guests can engage in in-depth discussions and experience sharing, to explore new ways for the development of the tourism industry for a brighter future.

Speakers also include Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, former President of the Republic of Croatia; José Luis Sanz Ruiz, Mayor of Seville, Spain; Pansy Ho, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF); and Wang Xudong, Member of the CPC Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, and Director of the Palace Museum. The Conference is committed to promoting the development experience of tourism cities and facilitating global tourism exchanges and cooperation. Under the theme "New Trends, New Business Format, New Consumption: Jointly Creating the New Prosperity of Culture & Tourism", this year’s conference features activities such as the mayors' dialogue, the outcome release, and thematic speeches.

Sima Hong, Vice Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice Chairman of the WTCF Council and Mu Peng, Secretary General of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality attended the conference.