Recently, the 2026 World Tourism Cooperation and Development Conference, hosted by the World Tourism Cities Federation and organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, was held at the Shougang International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing. The conference included opening remarks, results releases, signing ceremonies, and tourism trade negotiations, focusing on cross-border tourism cooperation and the application of digital technology to the cultural and tourism industry, and building a platform for dialogue, industry matchmaking, and resource display among global tourism cities.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Guo Huaigang, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Cities Federation and Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. The participating guests conducted in-depth discussions and shared experiences on the theme of "Digital Innovation, Harmony and Win-Win Cooperation".

Olaf McKay, Mayor of Valletta, Malta, argued that evaluating the effectiveness of tourism development should not solely focus on tourist numbers, but also consider residents' well-being, business profits, cultural heritage protection, and ecological carrying capacity. He believes that the World Tourism Cities Federation and this conference have established a high-quality cooperation platform, bringing together city managers, tourism organizations, research institutions, and industry partners to jointly address industry challenges and explore development opportunities.

Ben Montgomery, Vice President of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), believes that digital technology is profoundly reshaping the tourism industry. The theme of this conference, "Digital Innovation and Win-Win Cooperation," aligns with the industry's development realities, and the World Tourism Cities Federation provides an important platform for exchange and collaboration among all parties. The value of the tourism industry lies in interpersonal connections, cultural exchange, and international understanding; the development of digital tourism must balance industry direction with fair distribution of benefits.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, believes that international tourism is a "service trade completed while people are on the move." Tourism allows international tourists to get closer to real Chinese life and has the most direct experience and evaluation of Chinese services. China's inbound tourism is expected to maintain double-digit growth in 2026, with Beijing experiencing even faster growth. Beijing has launched "Ten Scenarios for the Application of Cultural Tourism Technology in Beijing," providing a referable and exemplary model for the application of artificial intelligence in cultural tourism globally. One-stop visa-free transit, card-swiping for foreign visitors, cross-provincial tax refunds, and the "Go Beijing" entry pass are just some of the convenient measures that comprehensively optimize the travel experience for foreign tourists in Beijing.

During the conference, the Federation released 121 detailed city scoring criteria to support the ISO international standard "Brand Evaluation of Tourist Cities" (ISO 11778). This standard, developed under the Federation's leadership, marks the formation of an enforceable benchmark for evaluating tourist cities, providing crucial practical guidance for the standardization of tourist city development globally.

The World Tourism Cities Federation, in collaboration with expert Joseph Lema, released the "World Tourism Cities Development Report (2025-2026)". The report comprehensively evaluates 100 global tourism cities across six dimensions, including city reputation, industry prosperity, and urban intelligence. The report shows that the top ten world tourism cities for 2025-2026 are: New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Milan, Istanbul, and Dubai. Beijing ranks fifth, up two places from last year.

Several cooperation signing ceremonies were held at the conference. Zheng Fang, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and Zhu Baoxia, Deputy Director of China Daily, jointly launched the "Travel in China: Beijing" English-language smart tourism service platform. The platform features nine sections: Exclusive Beijing, Pre-trip Guide, Taste of Beijing, Popular Spots, Must-Buy Items, Hotel Accommodation, Festivals and Events, Rural Tourism, and Brilliant Intangible Cultural Heritage. It will systematically showcase Beijing's inbound tourism resources, providing overseas tourists with relevant information and services to facilitate their travels in Beijing.

Rong Xinfeng, Chairman of Beijing Badaling Cultural Tourism Group Co., Ltd., and Zheng Xiaofei, CEO of Mastercard Online Union, jointly signed a "Memorandum of Cooperation between Badaling Cultural Tourism Group and Mastercard to Jointly Promote High-Quality Tourism Development." Leveraging the Great Wall as a world-class cultural heritage site, the cultural tourism group's mature integrated tourism service capabilities, and the widely accepted Mastercard bank cards and diverse acceptance channels, the two parties will work together to develop the Badaling Great Wall scenic area into the first "World Cultural Heritage Inbound Payment Demonstration Scenic Area" in China.

Following this, the conference held a "Beijing Inbound Tourism Cooperation Signing Ceremony." Members of the World Tourism Cities Federation, including China International Travel Service (CITS), Beijing BTG Travel Development, Beijing Baida Tourism, and Utour (Beijing) International Travel Service, signed agreements with international travel agencies from Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Turkey, Czech Republic, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries. The parties reached several cooperation agreements on key areas such as inbound tourist source transportation, cross-border payment settlement, and the application of cultural and tourism technology innovation, laying a solid foundation for expanding Beijing's inbound tourism market and deepening international cultural and tourism cooperation.

The conference organized a tourism trade fair. This event brought together over 80 overseas travel agencies from major source markets in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America, and over 110 local Beijing cultural and tourism enterprises, building a platform for practical cooperation in cultural and tourism with a global reach, and contributing to the high-quality development of Beijing's inbound tourism. Guests exchanged views on topics such as digital empowerment, air connectivity, technological applications, development of cultural and tourism resources, and foreign-related service guarantees. Achievements such as Beijing's digital cultural and tourism services, AR real-time translation glasses, continuous expansion of international routes, Yanqi Lake's high-end MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) resort resources, and comprehensive insurance for foreign visitors were highlighted, addressing pain points for overseas tourists in China related to language, travel, and medical care, and enriching the supply of inbound cultural and tourism products. Following the thematic presentations, one-on-one targeted negotiations were held, with nearly 2,000 groups of Chinese and foreign enterprises conducting 10 rounds of targeted consultations, efficiently connecting supply and demand, and continuously deepening Sino-foreign cultural and tourism exchanges, mutual learning, and industrial cooperation.

During the conference, the organizers simultaneously created indoor and outdoor exhibition areas to comprehensively showcase the achievements of the "Top Ten Scenarios of Beijing's Cultural Tourism Technology Applications" and the profiles of member units of the World Tourism Cities Federation. The indoor exhibition area focused on showcasing cutting-edge cultural tourism technology achievements, with innovative applications such as AIGC immersive experiences, AR real-time translation, naked-eye 3D holographic displays, and AI-powered smart travel on display. It also showcased convenient services for inbound tourism, such as cross-border payments and fast customs clearance, providing attendees with an immersive and interactive new digital cultural tourism experience. The outdoor exhibition area brought together nine international member cities of the Federation and numerous key enterprises to promote global distinctive cultural tourism resources, international air routes, and cross-border service achievements, showcasing the unique charm and cooperation potential of the world's cultural tourism industry.

(Source: China.com, Author: Wu Ce, January)