World-class tourist destinations satisfy both residents, visitors: Experts

Experts gathered at the 2021 China Cultural and Tourist Industries Summit in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss the development of world-class tourist destinations.

According to Jia Yunfeng, an expert of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the ultimate goal of a world-class tourist destination is to create a unique local life for people living there, which means making local people live a satisfying life, and at the same time making newcomers get accustomed to local life easily. "Only by making local residents happy can we make travelers satisfied," said Jia.

On that basis, he proposed eight standards for building a world-class tourist destination, including world-class planning, international brand building and pluralistic market structure.

Lin Jiabin, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, shared his view on the development of the cultural tourist industry. He believes the industry is becoming more and more important and "requires people to understand new trends, opportunities and challenges so that we can give full play to its role in the economy."

Taoyuan Forest International Tourism Resort was launched during the summit. As a major project in the Yangtze River Delta region, the resort will become a tourist destination combining sightseeing, spa, study trips, farmland entertainment, sports and adventure, and water parks.