China.org.cn: Qingdao tourism meet draws impressive response

The World Tourism Cities Federation s annual Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit, which ended on Saturday in Qingdao, in Shandong province, drew a huge response this year.

Release time : 2018-09-12 10:08:33

source : China.org.cn

Qingdao tourism meet draws impressive response

The World Tourism Cities Federation's annual Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit, which ended on Saturday in Qingdao, in Shandong province, drew a huge response this year.

About 400 representatives from 112 cities and more than 200 members of tourism institutions and international organizations attended the event, which included forums, tourism promotions and trade and investment meetings.

"Tourism not only generates jobs and income along with business opportunities, but it also increases public revenues," Tegegnework Gettu, the United Nations under-secretary-general, said in his speech at the opening ceremony on Friday.

"And the increased fiscal revenues made available to national and local authorities, in turn, can be reinvested in the improvement of infrastructure and services, further increasing the attractiveness of cities."

According to him, if pressures on local housing prices and overuse of natural and cultural assets are managed properly, there could be a virtual cycle that may drive the achievement of the sustainable development goals all over the world.

Recent data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization show that there were over 1.3 billion international tourist arrivals in 2017 around the world, up 6.8 percent over 2016, the highest increase since 2009. And China continued to lead global outbound travel in terms of expenditure, with $257.7 billion spent last year.

WTCF's secretary-general Song Yu attributed the rapid rise of mass tourism in the world to the improvement of transport, like civil aviation, high-speed trains and harbors.

As for who is traveling, Song says: "Young people prefer independent travel. And the boom of the middle classes means that more people will seek good-quality customized travel.

"Also, tourist cities are not only a source market for global travel, but also destinations for global travel, playing an irreplaceable role in world