Beijing Seeks to Integrate Culture and Tourism

Experts discussed the integration of culture and tourism to boost travel consumption at the Capital Tourism Development Forum in Beijing in late December.

Release time : 2021-01-13 18:36:32

source : China Daily

Experts discussed the integration of culture and tourism to boost travel consumption at the Capital Tourism Development Forum in Beijing in late December.

The forum held by the Beijing Tourism Society and Beijing Union University aimed to find solutions to better tap the capital city's cultural and tourism resources and optimize the tourism-business environment. The pandemic is expected to cause a 50 percent year-on-year drop in domestic tourist visits and consumption for 2020, China Tourism Academy president Dai Bin says.

Inbound tourism plummeted by 90 percent.

"Yet we can see that the massive tourism demand based on national consumption has never disappeared, and digitally driven smart tourism has continued to innovate," Dai says.

Dai says he's optimistic about tourism development in 2021, which is based on the country's goal to eliminate extreme poverty and become a "moderately prosperous society" (xiaokang shehui), as well as the positive results from the demand-side reform outlined at the nation's annual Central Economic Work Conference to stimulate economic development this year.

"Tourism will go from full business resumption to full consumption recovery," Dai says.

He expects pandemic controls, increased consumption and innovation-driven industry upgrades will become focuses of the tourism sector this year.

A group of scenic spots and resorts with outstanding cultural elements will be constructed, and red and rural tourism will be given support to improve travel-business development, and increase quality and supply.

The development of culture parks, including those related to the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, will move forward.

Beijing's tourism plan for 2021-25 has been formulated. Priority will be given to technical reforms and innovation to boost cultural and tourism infrastructure, enhance consumption and advance new business models, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism deputy