UNWTO event sees biggest crowd yet

Sichuan hosts organization's general assembly, with focus on countries combining their efforts, Yuan Shenggao reports.

The 22nd General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization attracted more than 1,000 participants from 137 countries and regions, as well as 41 international organizations, to its host city of Chengdu, Sichuan province last week.

Held from Sept 11 to 16, it is the largest gathering in UNWTO's history, said Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the organization. The event is a key milestone in UNWTO's development and that of the world tourism sector overall, he added.

Zurab Pololikashvili, current ambassador of Georgia to Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Andorra, was appointed the new UNWTO chief for 2018-21 during the event.

He said he was impressed with Chengdu's performance in hosting the UNWTO gathering, adding he had never seen such a large UNWTO assembly as that held in Chengdu.

The event drew more than 1,300 guests, nearly 80 ministers and hundreds of reporters from around the world.

Many international tourism ministers and political leaders voiced their approval of the assembly, where participants shared their insights into world tourism development and experienced China's charm.

Belt and Road

A highlight of the UNWTO General Assembly was a tourism ministers meeting focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, as proposed by China in 2013. It gained wide acceptance among the meeting's attendees.

Via the initiative, participating countries and regions can leverage the resources and strengths made available across a variety of sectors to help to reduce poverty, develop their economies and create jobs, the attendees said.

The Chengdu Initiative on Tourism Cooperation along the Belt and Road, which was released at the meeting, demonstrated the ministers' confidence in future tourism cooperation among countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The document suggested that countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative work together more closely in the tourism sector, by increasing policy-related communication to facilitate travel and improving the quality of exchanges.

The Chengdu initiative also called for joint tourism promotion and increased exchanges in tourism education.

Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has signed tourism agreements with more than 60 countries and international organizations, according to Li Jinzao, head of the China National Tourism Administration. He said that tourism helps to promote people-to-people communication and exchanges.

"The Belt and Road routes span across the world's four most famous civilizations in the West and the East, and four prime religious origins in the world," Li said. "It covers three types of economies - developed countries, developing countries and underdeveloped countries - and links major tourist destinations and sources worldwide.

"The tourism scale of the Belt and Road countries and regions contribute more than 70 percent of the world's total."

UNWTO's Secretary-General Rifai said the ancient Silk Road was key to people-to-people exchanges, and the modern Belt and Road Initiative has brought golden development opportunities to tourism.

Tourism cooperation needs to focus on transportation, visa policies, service standardization and safety, he said.

Pololikashvili from Georgia, a country on the ancient Silk Road, said he values the initiative. "It will enable the coming together of diverse cultures from different countries, resulting in closer relations among the involved countries and regions."

He said he hopes all involved parties will advance the initiative and contribute to developing tourism in the region.

China plays a leading role in the initiative, he noted.

The top official from the China National Tourism Administration, Li forecast there would be about 700 million outbound visits from China over the next five years.

The country also has confidence in attracting 700 million foreign visits during the period, Li said.

(China Daily 09/23/2017 page10)