On the evening of June 2, the reception for the WTCF Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2026 was held at the Summer Palace. Yin Li, Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, addressed the occasion.

Yin welcomed Chinese and foreign guests. He said that President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to tourism, noting that tourism serves as a bridge for disseminating culture, exchanging ideas, and strengthening friendship. In recent years, China has embraced global visitors with open arms and shared new opportunities in tourism development with other countries. Beijing, as China’s political center, cultural center, center for international exchanges, and center for technological innovation, boasts abundant tourism resources. It is a vibrant city where tradition meets modernity, and has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other city around the world. Beijing also has rich resources in education, science and technology with strong momentum in innovation and creativity. Cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and ultra-high-definition audiovisual technology are rapidly empowering the development of the tourism industry, while digital culture and museums, smart guide services, and other applications are bringing visitors new experiences. Thanks to well-developed infrastructure and growing convenience in entry and exit procedures, payment, communications, and other services, more and more tourists are choosing to visit Beijing. Moving forward, Beijing will expedite efforts to build itself into a global leader in the digital economy and a world-class tourist city. We are ready to work with all parties to develop the city into a major global tourist destination. We welcome tourists from around the world to visit China and Beijing, gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and broader Eastern culture, and promote people-to-people connectivity and exchanges among civilizations. We will further promote technology-enabled tourism, strengthen the integrated application of technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, and advance the integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and exhibitions, so as to provide tourists with more high-quality tourism products and services. We will leverage platforms such as the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and the Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit to deepen tourism exchanges and cooperation, draw on international best practices, and inject new impetus into improving people’s lives and promoting economic and social development.

Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), delivered remarks in which she congratulated Beijing on its achievements in economic and social development. She said that during this visit to Beijing, she had experienced the city’s profound history and culture, beautiful ecological environment, and the warmth and hospitality of its people. The WTTC is ready to strengthen cooperation with countries and cities worldwide, and remains committed to promoting the development of global tourism and contributing to world economic growth.

Beijing municipal leaders Zhao Lei and Sima Hong attended the event, along with mayors of some member cities of the WTCF, heads of relevant international organizations and institutions, representatives of overseas tourism authorities, and heads of tourism enterprises.