On July 4, the Committee for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee organized members of the Democratic Supervision Group for Improving Beijing’s Role as the Center for International Exchanges, and the “Theme of the Month” Travel Agency Management Supervision Group to visit the Beijing Tourism Group (BTG) and engage in discussions. The event was themed “Upgrading Hotel Quality and Services to Improve Beijing’s Role as the Center for International Exchanges”. Cui Shuqiang, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee, attended and addressed the discussion meeting.

Before the meeting, committee members were briefed on the development and operations of the BTG, the construction of its new site at Beijing Municipal Administrative Center (BMC), and the design concept and construction progress of the “Wanli” commercial complex project. During the discussion, Zhou Weimin, Level I Bureau Rank Official of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism; Bai Fan, Chairman of the BTG; and Li Yun, General Manager of the BTG, provided updates on topics such as “Upgrading Hotel Quality and Services to Improve Beijing’s Role as the Center for International Exchanges” and “Travel Agency Management”, and interacted with the committee members.

Committee members pointed out that the hotel industry, as a crucial pillar supporting Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges, has contributed greatly to major diplomatic events, and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. It, therefore, has become an important strategic sector for the city’s development. With a focus on addressing issues raised by the public, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism has released the 2.0 versions of the Guidelines for Travel Agency Services and the Guidelines for Tour Guide Services. Based on scientific assessments, a series of measures have been introduced such as optimizing reservation policies for popular tourist spots, increasing ticket supplies, and extending opening hours. These efforts have elevated Beijing’s capacity to deliver quality tourism services and enhanced visitor satisfaction. It is recommended that various tourism market entities continually improve their capacity to support Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges. Emphasis should be placed on cultivating professional talent and leveraging the roles of big data and artificial intelligence in industry advancement, thus transforming tourism into a happiness industry with distinct characteristics of the times.

Cui remarked that improving the role as the center for international exchanges is a glorious mission entrusted to Beijing by the CPC Central Committee, and represents a significant strategic choice to navigate new circumstances and break new ground in major-country diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics in the new era. In international exchanges, hotels often epitomize a city’s image. This important role necessitates serious studies of the development patterns and trends of the hotel industry, and continuous improvement in service quality. Beijing, as the capital of China, is highly attractive to domestic tourists and is the first and only “Dual Olympic City” in the world. With abundant tourism resources, we should increase the supply of high-quality tourism products, upgrade hotel business models, stimulate the vitality of various tourism market entities, and foster a new landscape of integrated development across multiple industries. These efforts aim to continuously enhance the experience, satisfaction, and sense of fulfillment for visitors to Beijing. Moreover, it is crucial to leverage the role of the CPPCC as a specialized consultative body in effectively providing policy advice and building consensus, as well as its democratic supervision nature to improve Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges and safeguard people’s interests.

Zhao Hongsheng, Director of the Committee for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee, presided over the meeting. Xiong Jiuling, Director General of the Office of Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality; Huang Saixi, Deputy Director of the Committee for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs of the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee; Yan Weiqun, Head of the Democratic Supervision Group; and Wu Xiangren and Xu Yanli, Convenors of the Supervision Group, attended the meeting.