[Photo via the official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism]
The 2024 Beijing Inbound Tourism Development Conference was held from May 23 to 26 in Beijing, including several sections such as negotiations between Chinese and foreign tourism enterprises, signing of agreements for strategic cooperation, promotions and inspections of cultural and tourism resources, and familiarization tours of travel routes. The conference aimed to serve as a platform for Chinese and foreign travel agencies to partake in in-depth discussions and enhance collaborative ties.
On May 24, the opening ceremony of the conference was held at the No. 3 Blast Furnace in Shougang Park. During the ceremony, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism awarded the Beijing Tourism Global Distribution Partner certificates to 10 travel agencies from major source markets, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is learned that Beijing has been running the "Beijing Tourism Overseas Promotion Partner Program" since 2018. This program now encompasses 60 international partners for the inbound tourism sector of Beijing.
[Photo via the official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism]
[Photo via the official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism]
Terry Dale, President of the United States Tour Operators Association, who had just participated in the 14th China-US Tourism Leadership Summit, commented that Beijing's cultural and tourism resources have left him with a deep impression during the inspection. To attract more American tourists to discover Beijing's history, culture, fashion, and vibrancy, he pledged to actively foster dialogues between the Chinese and American travel industries, create a bridge for US-China tourism exchange and cooperation, and encourage American travel agencies to expand their Beijing inbound tourism offerings.
[Photo via the official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism]
Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism gave attendees an overview of several policies and initiatives in the section dedicated to promoting cultural and tourism resources. These included the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region's 144-hour visa-free transit policy, the visa-free entry policy for foreign cruise passengers, tax refunds for foreign visitors, incentives for inbound tourism, and payment-facilitating measures. The cultural and tourism resources of Beijing, both traditional and brand-new ones, were also featured in this section.
Anrijs Forsts, a representative of Transforma Travel Group, stated that his company would adjust to these regulations by initiating more diversified travel projects. He pointed out that China's policies regarding visa facilitation have been the driving force behind the global tourism rebound. The leader of Klassique Travels Inc. in New York, David Yaw Anokye, stated that short-term travelers would benefit greatly from China's 144-hour visa-free policy and expressed excitement about potential future collaboration with Chinese travel firms. The head of Bay Strategies Limited, Martin Donovan, praised China's initiatives to facilitate inbound travel as well and commented that these efforts would draw more foreign conference planners.
(Sources: Official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, CRI Online of China Media Group)
