After the National Tourism Development Conference, the Decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to "improve the system and mechanism for the in-depth integration and development of culture and tourism." To implement the series of decisions and deployments made by the central government, various places have intensively held provincial tourism development conferences, and raised the level of the conferences to be jointly hosted by the Party committee and the government. The provincial Party secretaries and governors are working together to promote the development, forming a new pattern of "central leadership, provincial overall control, city (county) main force, departmental coordination, and phased promotion" across the country.

Since its inception, the provincial tourism development conference has undergone nearly two decades of development, and has undergone significant changes in many aspects. The hosting entity has been upgraded from being solely hosted by the government or departments to being jointly held by the Party committee and the government. The theme of the conference has also expanded from the initially single tourism to the direction of integration of culture, tourism and industry, adhering to the overall requirements of "upholding the right principles and innovating, improving quality and efficiency, and integrated development," reflecting the important position of the culture and tourism industry in local economic development and social construction.

According to statistics, by the end of November, 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) have held theme conferences related to tourism development or culture and tourism development. Among them, many provinces and cities have jointly held tourism development conferences for the first time in the name of the provincial Party committee and provincial government (Hubei has not yet announced the convening information). This compilation summarizes the main content of the national and previous provincial "Tourism Development Conferences," as well as the innovative ideas and work plans for promoting the high-quality development of the culture and tourism industry in the current and future period, for reference by the industry.

Shanghai: "Double Conference" Promotes Investment

On March 27, the 3rd Shanghai Tourism Investment Promotion Conference was held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center. Gong Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai, attended the conference and jointly released the "Double Hundreds of Billions" projects of major cultural and tourism investment and consumption in Shanghai with the guests. A total of 26 projects were released this time, with a total investment of 117.5 billion yuan. On the same day, the 3rd Shanghai Tourism Industry Expo was held concurrently, with an exhibition area of 600,000 square meters. More than 5,000 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions participated in the exhibition, attracting more than 400,000 professional visitors from more than 120 countries and regions.

△Gong Zheng and guests jointly release the "Double Hundreds of Billions" projects (Source: Shanghai Release)

It is worth mentioning that the first Shanghai Tourism Industry Development Conference was held in February 2011. Yu Zhengsheng, then Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, delivered a speech at the conference, and Han Zheng, then Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and Mayor, attended the conference and delivered a speech. The Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Shanghai's Tourism Industry and Building a World-Famous Tourist City were issued at the conference. In September 2021, Shanghai upgraded the Tourism Industry Development Conference to the Tourism Investment Promotion Conference, adopting a market-oriented, professional and international operation model to enhance Shanghai's competitiveness in the global tourism market.

Ningxia: Holding a Special Meeting to Study and Promote "Smart Tourism in Ningxia"

On April 3, Liang Yanshun, former Party secretary and director of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, presided over a special meeting. This meeting focused on the progress of "Smart Tourism in Ningxia," specifically listening to reports on the relevant situation and studying and deploying future work. The meeting emphasized the need to further strengthen planning and design, apply advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence to improve the intelligent level of tourism public services, accelerate the integration of science and technology with the culture and tourism industry, and build a national whole-region tourism demonstration zone to a high standard.

The meeting also pointed out that the development of smart tourism is a complex system project that requires close cooperation, coordination and synergy among relevant departments, cities and counties, and enterprises. At the same time, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of new infrastructure, strengthen technical support, actively promote the integrated application of cutting-edge technologies such as VR, AR, and 720° panoramic views in the culture and tourism field, achieve full coverage of consumption scenarios such as scenic spots, travel agencies, shopping places, and merchant stores, and create an immersive new cultural and tourism experience for tourists.

Guizhou: Continuously Enhancing the Influence of "Colorful Guizhou"

From April 11 to 12, the 18th Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference was held in Xingyi City, Qianxinan Prefecture. Xu Lin, Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, attended the conference, and Li Bingjun, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee and Governor, announced the opening of the conference. It is understood that since 2006, Guizhou has held 17 consecutive sessions of the Tourism Industry Development Conference, making it the province with the longest duration of holding provincial tourism development conferences in the country. It has become a booster for the high-quality development of Guizhou's tourism industry, an incubator for tourism brands, and a large platform for investment and cooperation.

This year's conference, themed "Promoting the Deep Integration of Culture and Tourism and Building a World-Class Tourist Destination," set up four main activities and six supporting activities. The main activities include the opening ceremony, the 4th National Self-driving Tour and Camping Club Conference, the Guizhou Culture and Tourism Industry Investment Promotion Conference and the Colorful Guizhou Tourism Product Competition Award Ceremony, and the National Travel Agents Conference, focusing on promoting the development of tourism-related industries, paying attention to tourism-related enterprises and business entities, and attaching importance to product innovation, further enhancing the brand influence of "Colorful Guizhou".

Fujian: Taking Fujian's Characteristic Path of Cultural and Tourism Economic Development

On April 18, the 2024 Fujian Provincial Cultural and Tourism Economic Development Conference was held in Quanzhou. Zhou Zuyi, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, attended and spoke at the conference, and Zhao Long, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee and Governor, presided over the conference. The conference emphasized the need to focus on leveraging advantages, highlighting characteristics, and enhancing capabilities to accelerate the creation of a world-renowned tourist destination; to adhere to building a good brand and optimizing the environment to continuously improve popularity; to highlight cultural heritage and digital empowerment to continuously improve industrial integration; and to focus on mountain-sea linkage and urban-rural coordination to read the "Shan Hai Jing" of the new era.

△The 2024 Fujian Provincial Cultural and Tourism Economic Development Conference (Source: Fujian Daily)

At the Fujian Provincial Cultural and Tourism Project Investment and Financing Matching Conference, a total of 36 key cultural and tourism projects were signed, including regional cooperation, government-enterprise cooperation, industrial docking, investment promotion cooperation, and bank-enterprise cooperation projects. Among them, there were 27 investment promotion cooperation projects with a total investment of 26.743 billion yuan; and 9 bank-enterprise cooperation projects with a financing amount of 8.335 billion yuan. Among the signed investment promotion projects, there were 9 projects with a total investment of more than 1 billion yuan; among the bank-enterprise cooperation projects, the strategic cooperation agreement between Fujian Tourism Development Group and Construction Bank Fujian Branch has a financing amount of 5 billion yuan.

Shandong: Polishing the Golden Signboard of "Hospitable Shandong"

On April 25, 2024, the Shandong Provincial Conference on High-Quality Development of the Cultural Tourism Industry was held in Linyi. Lin Wu, Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the CPC, and Zhou Naixiang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee and Governor, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Ge Huijun, Chairman of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, also attended. The meeting emphasized that the key to promoting the high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry in the current and future period is to focus on the "Hospitable Shandong" brand, innovate the deep integration model of culture and tourism, and continuously improve core competitiveness, brand penetration, and comprehensive driving force. At the meeting, Lin Wu presented a flag to Dezhou, the host city of the next high-quality development conference for the cultural tourism industry.

△Speech by Zhou Naixiang, Deputy Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the CPC and Governor (Source: Dazhong Daily)

The meeting also clarified that it is necessary to adapt to the new changes and requirements of the tourism industry, and to plan a high-level upgraded version of "Hospitable Shandong"; to adhere to the principle of using culture to shape tourism and tourism to highlight culture, and to promote a deeper integration of culture and tourism at a higher level; to meet market demand and create a batch of innovative products with attractiveness, penetration, and affinity; to accelerate the improvement of various basic supporting facilities, and to effectively strengthen the hardware support of "Hospitable Shandong"; to optimize the business environment, making the development of the cultural tourism industry sunny, well-watered, and fertile; and to establish a sense of unity, focusing on gathering the concerted efforts to build "Hospitable Shandong".

Xinjiang: Support from Aid-to-Xinjiang Units Promotes Xinjiang's Tourism Development

On May 27, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Tourism Development Conference was held in Gaochang District, Turpan City. Erken Tuniyaz, Deputy Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPC and Chairman of the Regional Government, and other regional leaders attended. Relevant officials from the Department of Industry Development and the Department of Personnel of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, representatives from 19 aid-to-Xinjiang provinces and cities, and more than 500 guests from tourism-related enterprises such as Bona Film Group and Ctrip attended the meeting. At the meeting, honorary titles of "Xinjiang Cultural Tourism Ambassadors" were conferred on representatives including Dilinaer Abula, Ma Yili, Liu Liangcheng, and Wang Hongwei.

△Scene of the Xinjiang Tourism Development Conference (Photo by Chen Juncheng)

At the conference, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released the "Work Plan for the Special Action Plan to Promote Tourism Consumption in Xinjiang." The plan, from 2024 to 2026, will focus on five aspects: source markets, destinations, product supply, transportation services, and promotion. It will increase financial investment and resource allocation to Xinjiang to promote the high-quality development of Xinjiang's tourism industry. This year, participating units plan to invest a total of 178 million yuan in special funds, with continued investment in 2025 and 2026 to support the development of Xinjiang's tourism industry.

Jiangxi: Leading the Integrated Development of Culture and Tourism through the Strategy of Building a Strong Province through Culture

On May 22, the 2024 Jiangxi Provincial Conference on Promoting the Construction of a Strong Province through Culture was grandly held in Jingdezhen City. Yin Hong, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPC and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, attended and delivered a speech, and Ye Jianchun, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee and Governor, presided over the meeting. The meeting emphasized that all levels of party committees and governments should place the construction of a strong province through culture in a prominent and important position, strengthen organizational leadership, strengthen joint efforts and management, continuously deepen reform and innovation, and strengthen the construction of cultural talent teams. At the same time, it encouraged local governments and enterprises to take on responsibilities and work together to implement various tasks and jointly promote the construction of a strong province through culture.

△The 2024 Jiangxi Provincial Conference on Promoting the Construction of a Strong Province through Culture (Source: Jiangxi Daily)

The Jiangxi Provincial Tourism Industry Development Conference is an industry development conference hosted by the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the CPC and the Jiangxi Provincial People's Government. It has been held annually since 2014, with the host city rotating among the prefecture-level cities. According to preliminary statistics, the 10 sessions of the Jiangxi Provincial Tourism Development Conference have attracted a total of 236 tourism projects, with a total investment of 238.7 billion yuan. The Jiangxi Provincial Conference on Promoting the Construction of a Strong Province through Culture, which was also held, included the integrated development of culture and tourism. Perhaps due to considerations of saving resources for holding conferences, a separate conference on tourism industry development was not held.

Liaoning: Promoting the Integrated Development of High-Quality Culture, Sports, and Tourism

On May 25, the 2024 Liaoning Provincial Conference on the Integrated Development of High-Quality Culture, Sports, and Tourism was grandly held in Dalian. Hao Peng, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPC and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, attended the meeting and delivered a speech, and Li Leceng, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee and Governor, presided over the meeting and conveyed relevant information. The conference released the "Guiding Opinions on Building Demonstration Areas for the Integrated Development of High-Quality Culture, Sports, and Tourism in Liaoning Province," effectively implementing the deployment requirements of the National Tourism Development Conference and promoting the integration of culture, sports, and tourism in the province on a wider scale, at a deeper level, and at a higher level.

△The 2024 Liaoning Provincial Conference on the Integrated Development of High-Quality Culture, Sports, and Tourism (Source: Liaoning Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)

The conference carefully planned a "2+12" activity system, including two main activities: the Liaoning Provincial Culture, Sports, and Tourism Industry Investment Promotion Activity and the Liaoning Provincial Conference on the Integrated Development of High-Quality Culture, Sports, and Tourism, as well as twelve colorful supporting activities, such as the Northeast Asia Food Culture Tourism Week and the International World Cup, fully demonstrating the charm and potential of Liaoning's culture, sports, and tourism industry. During the conference, Liaoning Province released 17 integrated development complexes for culture, sports, and tourism businesses and organized the signing of 30 key investment projects in culture, sports, and tourism, with a total investment of 53.2 billion yuan.

Jilin: Accelerating the Cultivation of a Trillion-Yuan Tourism Industry Cluster

On June 14, the first Jilin Provincial Tourism Development Conference was held in the Changbai Mountain Protected Area. This is the first tourism development conference jointly held by the Jilin Provincial Committee of the CPC and the Provincial People's Government. Jing Junhai, former Secretary of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the CPC, delivered a speech at the meeting, and Hu Yuting, Deputy Secretary of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the CPC and Governor, presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. The conference, themed "High-Quality Tourism Development and Accelerating the Construction of a Strong Tourism Province," aims to optimize the mechanism for the integrated development of the cultural tourism industry in the Greater Changbai Mountain area, drive the high-quality development of Jilin's tourism industry, and accelerate the cultivation of a trillion-yuan tourism industry cluster.

△The Jilin Provincial Tourism Development Conference (Source: Jilin Release)

During the conference, the "Tourism Development Plan for the Greater Changbai Mountain Area," the "Tourism Development Plan for the Border Opening Tourism Corridor in Jilin Province," and the "Revised Tourism Development Plan for the Songhua River Basin (Jilin Section)" were released. The planning and design of "one mountain, one river, and one corridor" clearly outlines the framework of Jilin's cultural tourism industry. At the same time, the Greater Changbai Mountain Regional Tourism Innovation Development Alliance was announced, and 39 major cultural tourism projects were successfully signed, with a total contract value of 31.5 billion yuan.

Henan: Shaping the Brand of "Walking Henan, Understanding China"

On June 17, 2024, the Henan Provincial Tourism Development Conference was grandly held in Zhengzhou, marking a new stage for Henan's integrated strategy of culture, tourism, and cultural creativity. This conference, the first to be held in Henan Province in a bidding format, focuses on the theme of "Walking Henan, Understanding China," aiming to promote the construction of a strong tourism province and comprehensively shape Henan's tourism brand. Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Committee of the CPC, attended and delivered a speech. The meeting emphasized the key role of cultural and technological innovation in the integration of culture and tourism, and put forward the strategic requirement of seizing the lead in the new era of integrated development of culture, tourism, and cultural creativity.

During the conference, the launch of the "Cultural Tourism Season," the successful holding of the Global Travel Agents Conference, and the introduction of a "policy package" were highlights of the conference. In particular, the release of policies such as the "Opinions on Promoting Financial Support for the Cultural Tourism Industry," the "Several Policies on Further Promoting the Development of Cultural and Creative Products in Cultural Relics Units," and the "Policy Guidance on Land Use for Tourism B&Bs in Henan Province" provided solid policy support for the development of culture, tourism, and cultural creativity. The conference also showcased the achievements in culture and tourism and major projects in Zhengzhou and other regions through project visits and industry investment promotion.

Heilongjiang: Gathering New Momentum for the Revitalization and Development of the Tourism Industry

On June 25th, the 6th Heilongjiang Provincial Tourism Industry Development Conference was held in Qiqihar City. Xu Qin, Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the CPC and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, attended and delivered a speech. Liang Huiling, Deputy Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the CPC and Governor of Heilongjiang Province, presided over the meeting. This conference was hosted by the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee and Provincial Government, and undertaken by the Qiqihar Municipal Committee, Municipal Government, and the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. The theme of the conference was "Sharing New Opportunities in Characteristic Cultural Tourism, Gathering New Momentum for Revitalization and Development." It innovatively adopted the approach of "全民参与办旅发、旅发成果惠全民" (which translates to a concept of universal participation in tourism development and the benefits of tourism development shared by all).

△Heilongjiang Provincial Tourism Industry Development Conference (Heilongjiang Daily)

Since 2018, Heilongjiang Province has held a provincial tourism development conference annually, with prefecture-level cities taking turns hosting. Five conferences have been held to date. This conference emphasized the integrated development of the tourism industry with the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, as well as the importance of tourism across all regions and seasons. Through a series of activities, including the tourism industry development conference, ice hockey season, barbecue food festival, national cultural festival, down feather industry investment promotion conference, and a series of mass preheating activities across the province, it comprehensively showcased Heilongjiang Province's tourism charm and development potential.

Qinghai: Building an International Eco-tourism Destination

On June 26, 2024, the first Qinghai Provincial Tourism Development Conference was held in Gonghe County, Hainan Prefecture. Chen Gang, Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Committee of the CPC and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, delivered a speech, and Wu Xiaojun, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPC and Governor, presided over the meeting. This conference, hosted by the Qinghai Provincial Committee and Provincial Government, aims to uphold ecology as the primary concern, setting the preservation of the ecological environment as the bottom line, red line, and rigid constraint for the development of ecological tourism. It seeks to build a new "one core, one ring, multiple belts" ecological tourism development pattern and accelerate the construction of an international eco-tourism destination.

△The First Qinghai Provincial Tourism Development Conference (Photo by Li Jiangning)

The meeting emphasized that ecological protection should be prioritized, using ecology to build tourism quality and highlight ecological value; that planning should guide development, preventing hasty actions driven by performance targets; that infrastructure should be prioritized, balancing tourism infrastructure construction and ecological protection in a site-specific manner; that win-win and multi-win outcomes should be pursued, achieving a win-win situation for ecological protection and tourism development; and that standardized management should be implemented, incorporating management into the "hard constraints" of protecting the natural ecological environment. This unified thinking and fostered consensus, laying a solid foundation for the high-quality development of Qinghai's ecological tourism.

Inner Mongolia: Consolidating and Deepening the Construction of "Four Lands and Four Seasons" Tourism

On June 30, the 2024 Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Tourism Development Conference was held in Hohhot City. Wang Lixia, Deputy Secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and Chairman of the Autonomous Region, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Zheng Hongfan, member of the Standing Committee of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department, attended the meeting, and Yang Jin, Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region, presided over the meeting. The conference, themed "My Promise to the Grassland," focused on promoting the high-quality development of Inner Mongolia's tourism industry, deepening the construction of "Four Lands of Tourism," and showcasing Inner Mongolia's natural scenery, historical culture, and ethnic customs to the world.

△Chairman Wang Lixia attends the meeting and delivers a speech (Source: Inner Mongolia News Network)

The conference emphasized the need to fully implement the deployment of the National Tourism Development Conference, deepen the construction of "the preferred destination for self-driving tours, the best choice for camping tours, the must-choose destination for vacation tours, and the optimal choice for health and wellness tours" (the Four Lands of Tourism); to promote the "romantic spring, cool summer, gorgeous autumn, and magical winter" four-season tourism brand; and to promote the four integrated developments of "tourism + ecology, tourism + health and wellness, tourism + agriculture, and tourism + sports and performing arts," injecting new impetus into the high-quality development of the tourism industry. Meanwhile, Ctrip, Tongcheng, Xiaohongshu, and other OTA companies have engaged in in-depth cooperation with Inner Mongolia's tourism industry.

Gansu: Striving to Receive 500 Million Tourists in 2025

On July 11, 2024, the Gansu Provincial Cultural Tourism Development Promotion Conference was held in Lanzhou. This conference summarized the achievements of Gansu Province's cultural tourism development over the past year, analyzed the new situation facing the development of the cultural tourism industry, and clarified the development goals and key tasks for the coming period. That is, by 2025, it strives to achieve 500 million tourist visits and 400 billion yuan in tourism spending; by 2030, it strives to achieve 650 million tourist visits and 580 billion yuan in tourism spending, making the tourism industry a strategic pillar industry.

△Gansu Provincial Cultural Tourism Development Promotion Conference (Source: Gansu Department of Culture and Tourism)

The conference was hosted by the Gansu Provincial Committee and Provincial Government, with Zhang Yongxia, member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Committee and Minister of the Provincial Publicity Department, attending and delivering a speech. The meeting emphasized the need to vigorously implement the "strengthening the foundation, strengthening the industry, strengthening the supply, strengthening the brand, and strengthening the talent" project, and to build a new tourism development pattern of "Dunhuang leading, Silk Road connecting, network collaboration, and overall promotion." At the same time, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a "whole region, whole season, benefiting the people and enriching the people" strong province of culture and tourism, and to create a world-renowned and internationally first-class important tourism destination.

Shanxi: Adhering to the Combination of Supply and Demand

On July 26, the 2024 Shanxi Provincial Tourism Development Conference was held in Taiyuan. Themed "Tourism Makes Life Better," the conference brought together numerous cultural and tourism industry elites to explore new formats, equipment, products, and scenarios in the cultural and tourism industry. The conference highlighted the combination of supply and demand, setting up five exhibition and cooperation zones covering cultural tourism industry and cultural investment services, intangible cultural heritage fashion and ancient building research, and digital cultural tourism and specialized towns, encompassing six major fields: culture, cultural relics, cultural creativity, cultural tourism, cultural products, and cultural investment, promoting investment and cooperation in the cultural tourism industry.

At the same time, the conference launched the mascots "Jin Jin" and "Yang Yang." These lively and lovely images, with profound meanings, not only enhanced the fun and interactivity of the conference but also further improved the brand image and popularity of Shanxi tourism. In addition, the conference also held a series of supporting activities, such as the visit of internationally renowned IP companies and international travel agents to Shanxi, and the international tourism industry matchmaking conference. These activities not only enriched the content of the conference but also further expanded the international influence of Shanxi's cultural tourism.

Sichuan: Polishing Four World-Class International Tourism Brands

On September 27, the 2024 Sichuan Provincial Culture and Tourism Development Conference and the 10th China (Sichuan) International Tourism Investment Conference were successfully held in Ya'an. Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the CPC and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, and Zhang Xu, Chairman of the World Tourism Alliance, attended and delivered speeches; Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPC and Governor, presided over the meeting. Themed "Attending the Cultural Tourism Event Together, Planning a New Chapter of Development Together," this conference aims to promote the construction of a strong cultural and tourism province in Sichuan at a high level, enhancing the international influence and attractiveness of Sichuan's cultural tourism industry.

△Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPC and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, delivers a speech (Source: Sichuan News Broadcast)

As one of the highlights of the conference, Sichuan cultural tourism promotion ambassadors Li Yuchun, Ding Zhen Zhenzhu, etc., jointly promoted the four world-class international tourism brands: "Land of Abundance, Panda Homeland, Ancient Shu Civilization, and Leisurely Sichuan." At the same time, the conference also released the "2024 Sichuan Provincial Key Cultural and Tourism Investment Promotion Project Guide," launching 242 high-quality cultural and tourism investment promotion projects, covering 33 categories, with a total investment of 264.7 billion yuan. A total of 97 major tourism projects were successfully signed on-site, with a total amount of approximately 50 billion yuan, covering various fields such as resort areas, red culture, and science fiction bases.

Hunan: Focusing on Improving the Modern Tourism Industry System

From September 20th to 22nd, 2024, the third Hunan Tourism Development Conference was successfully held in Hengyang City, Hunan Province. Shen Xiaoming, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech, as did Mao Weiming, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor. The meeting emphasized the need to fully implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, make good use of the "magic key" of reform and innovation, improve the systems and mechanisms of whole-region tourism, factor markets, integrated development, tourism for the people, and tourism services, and focus on improving the modern tourism industry system.

△Hunan Provincial Tourism Industry Development Promotion Conference (Source: New Hunan)

The conference, themed "Using Culture to Shape Tourism, Polishing Hunan's Historical and Cultural Brand," held a series of main events, including the opening ceremony and cultural tourism promotion meeting, cultural tourism project observation activities, and a tourism industry development promotion meeting. Hengyang, the host city, dynamically updated the key projects of the tourism development conference to 113, based on the original 86 key projects. Among these, 18 of the 23 key observation projects have started construction, and 50 of the 90 supporting projects have started construction, adding new impetus to Hunan's tourism industry development.

Zhejiang: Targeting the Strategic Goal of "Building a Strong Tourism Economy Province"

On September 14th, 2024, the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Development Conference was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Yi Lianhong, former Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, attended and delivered a speech, and Wang Hao, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor, presided over the meeting. This conference was the first provincial tourism work conference held by the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Government in nearly 20 years. The conference focused on continuously promoting the "Eight-Eight Strategy," targeting the strategic goal of "building a strong tourism economy province," focusing on the new opportunities and challenges facing the tourism industry in the new era, and conducting in-depth research and deployment on further improving and perfecting the modern tourism industry system.

△Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Development Conference held in Hangzhou (Source: Zhejiang Online)

Looking back at history, in September 2004, Comrade Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, presided over the provincial tourism development work conference, clearly proposing the strategic goal of "building a strong tourism economy province" and incorporating it into the overall deployment of the "Eight-Eight Strategy." For 20 years, Zhejiang has always kept in mind the General Secretary's instructions, adhering to a consistent blueprint, and continuously strengthening its tourism industry system. By 2023, Zhejiang's tourism industry added value exceeded 500 billion yuan, accounting for 6.1% of GDP, further solidifying the tourism industry's position as a pillar industry.

The convening of this conference has had a profound impact on the development of Zhejiang's tourism industry. The conference summarized and reviewed the achievements of Zhejiang's tourism industry development over the past 20 years, conducted in-depth discussions on core issues such as the whole-region construction of the tourism pattern, quality improvement of tourism supply, diversification of industry integration, and full-chain upgrading of people-friendly services, and formulated a development plan for Zhejiang's future tourism industry, injecting new vitality into accelerating the creation of a new highland for national cultural and tourism integration development and an internationally renowned tourist destination.

Hebei: Two Conferences Showcase "Four Highlights"

From September 22nd to 24th, the 8th Hebei Provincial Tourism Industry Development Conference and the Hebei Tourism Strong Province Construction Promotion Conference were held simultaneously in Langfang and Dingzhou. Ni Yuefeng, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, delivered a speech; Wang Zhengpu, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor, presided over the meeting; and Wang Lujin, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, attended. The conference used the theme of "So Close, So Beautiful, Weekend in Hebei." The main venue and branch venues resonated with each other, presenting four highlights: collaborative linkage, integrated promotion, industrial drive, and immersive interaction.

△Opening Ceremony of the 8th Hebei Provincial Tourism Industry Development Conference (Source: Hebei News Network)

During the conference, a total of 16 major events were held. Among them, the Langfang main venue included activities such as new tourism formats, marketing and publicity, global promotion, investment and financing docking, and key project observation; the Dingzhou branch venue held the Su Dongpo Travel City Exchange Conference of the China Cultural Relics Themed Tourist Path, the Dingzhou Special Session of the Cultural Tourism Investment and Financing Investment Promotion Meeting, and the "Only Dingzhou" classical garden immersive performance, comprehensively showcasing Hebei's tourism industry innovation achievements and development plan.

Guangxi: Amplifying the Brand Image of "Showy Under Heaven, Magnificent Guangxi"

On November 14th, the 2024 Guangxi Cultural Tourism Development Conference grandly opened in Wuzhou City. This conference was hosted by the Party Committee and Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, themed "Promoting Wuzhou to Build a Famous Lingnan Historical and Cultural City and Accelerating the Construction of a Strong Cultural Tourism Region in Guangxi." Liu Ning, Secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, attended and delivered a speech, and Lan Tianli, Chairman of the Autonomous Region, presided over the meeting. The meeting emphasized deepening cultural and tourism integration, promoting cultural enrichment of landscapes, continuously promoting the transformation and upgrading of the cultural and tourism industry, and accelerating the construction of a strong cultural tourism region and a world-important tourist destination.

During the conference, supporting activities such as the 2024 Guangxi Automobile Tourism Conference, the International Travel Agents Conference, and the Guangxi Creative Tour Guide Competition were also held, further enhancing the tourism brand image of "Showy Under Heaven, Magnificent Guangxi." Wuzhou City, as the host city of this conference, seized the opportunity to vigorously develop projects, comprehensively promoting the construction of 45 key cultural and tourism projects, with a total investment of 250 billion yuan. The cultural and tourism industry has undergone a magnificent upgrade, forming a new development trend of hosting in one place, radiating to surrounding areas, and driving the entire region.

Yunnan: Safeguarding Yunnan's Golden Signboard of Tourism

On September 18th, the 2024 Yunnan Provincial Tourism High-Quality Development Conference was grandly held in Kunming. The conference was hosted by the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Government. Wang Ning, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, issued an instruction, emphasizing the need to always keep in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's instruction to "safeguard Yunnan's golden signboard of tourism," continuously promoting high-quality development of the tourism industry, and making new strides in the construction of a strong tourism province. Wang Yupo, Governor, attended and delivered a speech, proposing to deepen integrated innovation, accelerate transformation and upgrading, and maintain Yunnan's tourism reputation and word-of-mouth.

The meeting clarified the need to use culture to shape tourism and tourism to highlight culture, to refine, optimize, and strengthen eight major industries, including ecological tourism, tourism residence brands, and rural tourism; to subdivide the tourism consumer market; to deepen the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism; to strengthen digital empowerment; to strengthen and optimize operating entities; to improve the tourism service system; and to strengthen international tourism exchanges and cooperation. At the same time, it also requires strengthening the application of digital technology in the tourism industry, providing tourists with more convenient and efficient tourism services, and allowing "a life called Yunnan" to go global.

Anhui: Building a New Platform for Investment and Financing in the Cultural and Tourism Industry

On September 9th, the Anhui Cultural Tourism Industry Investment and Financing Conference 2024 was successfully held in Hefei. As a key part of the 14th Anhui International Cultural Tourism Festival, this conference received great attention from the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Government. Qian Sanxiong, member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, attended and delivered a speech, expressing the government's firm support for the development of the cultural and tourism industry. More than 350 people attended, including representatives from well-known national cultural and tourism enterprises, relevant business associations, financial institutions, and fund companies.

△Signing Ceremony of Cultural Tourism Industry Investment and Financing Projects (Source: Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)

During the conference, various cities in Anhui Province conducted in-depth exchanges with participating enterprises and financial institutions, promoting 79 cultural and tourism investment projects covering leisure and vacation, creative economy, and research, study, and health preservation. Among them, 28 key cultural and tourism projects were successfully signed. In addition, the conference invited industry experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs to conduct in-depth exchanges and discussions on hot issues such as the future development trends and investment strategies of the cultural and tourism industry, providing beneficial guidance and suggestions for the transformation, upgrading, and high-quality development of Anhui's cultural and tourism industry.

Shaanxi: Jointly Building a Trillion-Yuan Cultural and Tourism Industry Cluster

On November 21, the 2024 Shaanxi Province Tourism High-Quality Development Promotion Conference and Tourism Scenic Spot and Route Industrial Cluster Work Meeting was held in Ankang City, co-hosted by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Ankang Municipal Government. Vice Governor Xu Mingfei attended the meeting and delivered a speech, and Ankang Municipal Party Committee Secretary Wu Wengang attended the meeting and gave a welcoming address. The meeting reported on the development of scenic spots and route industrial clusters, requesting all localities to strengthen organizational guarantees, policy supply, and investment promotion, focusing on building a trillion-level cultural tourism industrial cluster, and continuously promoting the high-quality development of Shaanxi's tourism industry.

△Shaanxi Provincial Tourism High-Quality Development Promotion Conference Held (Image source: Northwest Online)

During the meeting, lists of newly added National 5A-level tourist attractions, National 4A-level tourist attractions, and provincial tourist resorts in 2024 were announced, 10 high-quality tourism routes in Shaanxi were launched, and the list of leading units for the tourism scenic spot and route industrial clusters was released. In addition, representatives from key enterprises such as Shaanxi Tourism Group, Shaanxi Guotie Lvfu Media, and Xi'an China International Travel Service Group held a thematic discussion centered on "integrating all elements, connecting the entire chain, and activating new momentum." It is expected that 8 cultural tourism industry chains will exceed their annual development target of 850 billion yuan.

Jiangsu: Sounding the Horn for New Era Tourism Development in Jiangsu

On September 20, 2024, the Jiangsu Provincial Tourism High-Quality Development Conference was grandly held in Nanjing. Xu Ying, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Minister of Publicity Department, attended and delivered a speech, and Vice Governor Xia Xinmin presided over the meeting. The meeting emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on tourism development, deepen reforms in the cultural and tourism sector, focus on improving supply quality, accelerate brand-oriented development, strengthen cultural heritage protection and inheritance, deepen the integrated development of culture and tourism, expand international exchanges and cooperation, and promote the high-quality development of tourism in Jiangsu in the new era from a high starting point.

At the meeting, five units including the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism exchanged views on hot topics such as accelerating the shift from ticket-based economy to destination-consumption economy, promoting the integration of tourism and technology, and improving the quality of tourism service supply, sharing practical experiences and development plans for high-quality tourism development. After the meeting, the Jiangsu Provincial Tourism Association actively responded by holding a special conference on the new era of Jiangsu tourism development in Zhenjiang the next day (September 21), contributing with concrete actions to help Jiangsu accelerate its construction into a strong tourism province that satisfies its people, boasts distinctive characteristics and strong competitiveness, and a major world tourism destination.

Tibet: Building Cultural Tourism into Tibet's Pillar Industry

On October 22, the 2024 Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Tourism Industry Development Conference was grandly held in Lhasa. Wang Junzheng, Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee, attended and delivered a speech, and Yan Jinhai, Deputy Secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, presided. The meeting pointed out that Tibet's cultural tourism industry is in a period of advantageous transformation and upgrading, and should be based on reality, follow objective laws, correctly handle multiple relationships such as government guidance and market dominance, supply and demand, cultural protection and tourism development, development and safety, and domestic and international, to build the cultural tourism industry into a pillar industry of Tibet.

△Tibet Cultural Tourism Industry Development Conference Held (Image source: Tibet Daily)

The meeting emphasized that to promote the high-quality development of Tibet's cultural tourism industry, development ideas should be clarified by focusing on "eight highlights": highlighting planning first to advance cultural tourism resource development; highlighting integrated development to create new cultural tourism formats; highlighting regional linkage to improve the overall level of cultural tourism; highlighting people-centered approach to improve the cultural tourism development environment; highlighting characteristic premium products to polish the golden brand of cultural tourism; highlighting openness and sharing to achieve win-win cultural tourism cooperation; and highlighting livelihood improvement to promote cultural tourism that benefits and enriches the people.

Bei jing: Building a Deeply Integrated "Grand Tourism" Pattern

On October 24, 2024, the Beijing Tourism Development Conference was grandly held, marking the first important meeting organized by the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Government in the new era. Yin Li, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, delivered a speech. Sun Yeli, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of Culture and Tourism, Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, and other leaders attended. The meeting pointed out that building a "grand tourism" pattern with deep integration of culture and tourism, prosperous domestic and international markets, multi-industry promotion and linkage, and regionally coordinated development, is the main direction and significant mission for promoting high-quality tourism development in the capital in the current and future periods.

△Beijing Tourism Development Conference Held (Image source: Culture and Tourism Beijing)

The meeting particularly emphasized that building the capital's "grand tourism" pattern requires efforts in four aspects: striving to promote balanced tourism development and optimize the allocation of regional cultural tourism resources; striving to create high-quality tourism products and fully unleash the vitality of the tourism industry; striving to meet tourist demands and improve tourism service quality across the entire chain; striving to innovate tourism systems and mechanisms to solve the problem of concentrated tourism demand in key areas, scenic spots, and time periods; and striving to expand tourism openness to build Beijing into "China's preferred inbound tourism destination."

Meanwhile, the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of Tourism in Beijing" released during the meeting clearly stated that by 2029, the added value of the tourism industry will exceed 5% of the city's GDP, the total number of tourists will grow by more than 2% annually, total tourism revenue will grow by about 4% annually, inbound tourists will grow by about 5% annually, and the number of National 5A-level tourist attractions and various national-level tourism characteristic formats will rank among the top key cities nationwide, building Beijing into a pioneer zone for building a strong tourism nation, a world-class tourism city, and a global tourism destination.

Tianjin: Focusing on Building a Distinctive Cultural Tourism Destination

On October 22, 2024, the Tianjin Municipal Conference on Promoting Cultural Inheritance and Development and the City's Tourism Development Conference were held. This was the first special conference held by the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and Government in nearly a decade. Chen Min'er, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, attended and delivered a speech, and Zhang Gong, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, presided. The conference emphasized the need to achieve excellence in promoting cultural inheritance and development, to demonstrate effectiveness in strengthening deep integration of culture and tourism, to promote the high-quality development of Tianjin's tourism industry, and to focus on building a distinctive cultural tourism destination and an international consumption center city.

△Tianjin Municipal Conference on Promoting Cultural Inheritance and Development and the City's Tourism Development Conference Held (Screenshot from Tianjin News)

The meeting required adhering to the principles of cultural education, cultural benefit to the people, cultural enrichment of the city, and cultural prosperity of industries to create Tianjin-style cultural brands; highlighting the characteristics of river and sea culture, brightening the red cultural foundation, inheriting architectural cultural styles, innovating folk cultural forms, and comprehensively strengthening the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage; accelerating the construction of urban, experiential, youth-oriented, and humanistic-charming cultural tourism destinations, and launching tourism products suitable for all seasons and varying with time; and interacting with Beijing and Hebei for promotion, serving as mutual markets, sending sources of tourists to each other, and jointly building the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei tourism demonstration zone.

Chongqing: Strengthening the Leading Role of Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor

On November 15, 2024, the Chongqing Cultural Tourism Development Conference was held in Dazu District. Yuan Jiajun, Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, attended and delivered a speech. Hu Heng'hua, Deputy Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, presided. Wang Jiong, Director of the Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, Cheng Lihua, Chairman of the CPPCC Municipal Committee, and other leaders attended. The meeting emphasized strengthening the leading role of the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, deepening the coordinated planning and infrastructure connectivity of Sichuan-Chongqing cultural tourism, and jointly building a unified Sichuan-Chongqing cultural tourism market; integrating cultural tourism resources into a chain, reshaping the international landscape of "Two Rivers and Four Banks" into a mountainous urban scenery, and cultivating a Yangtze Golden Tourism Belt with global influence.

△Chongqing Cultural Tourism Development Conference Held in Dazu District (Photo by Liu Li)

In addition, during the conference, the launch ceremony of the Chongqing Cultural Tourism Public Welfare Consumption Carnival was held, along with exhibitions of Chongqing's tourism development achievements, a "Chongqing Cuisine 360 Bowls" food market, and a Bayu intangible cultural heritage and creative products market, further enhancing the competitiveness and influence of the cultural tourism industry. By the end of the first three quarters, Chongqing received a total of 330 million domestic tourists and 762,000 inbound tourists, generating total tourist spending of 355.26 billion yuan, representing year-on-year increases of 10.1%, 222.4%, and 15.7%, respectively.

Guangdong: Focusing on building "three areas" to comprehensively enhance "five capabilities"

On September 25, the 2024 Guangdong Provincial Tourism Development Conference was held in Guangzhou. This is the first provincial tourism development conference held by the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government in recent years. Huang Kunming, Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, attended and spoke; Wang Weizhong, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor, presided over the meeting; and Meng Fanli, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, attended the meeting. The conference comprehensively reviewed and affirmed the remarkable achievements made in Guangdong's tourism development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and in-depth studied and deployed the key tasks for Guangdong's tourism development in the current and next stages.

△The Guangdong Provincial Tourism Development Conference was held in Guangzhou (Source: Guangzhou Daily)

The meeting emphasized the need to firmly grasp the new round of major historical opportunities facing tourism development, deeply understand the trend and pattern changes that the tourism industry is undergoing, further leverage advantages, make up for shortcomings, strengthen weaknesses, continuously enrich and improve the connotation of a strong tourism province, focus on building a new highland for coastal tourism, a demonstration area for hot spring health and wellness, and a leading area for modern tourism consumption, and jointly enhance market influence, product supply capacity, brand appeal, industrial competitiveness, and service support capacity, accelerating the construction of a higher-level, higher-quality, and more influential strong tourism province.

During the conference, a signing ceremony for 20 key tourism projects was successfully held, covering key areas such as scenic area development, the creation of cultural tourism complexes, and cruise ship operations. Statistics show that in the first half of the year, Guangdong received a total of 384 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 17.1%, and achieved total tourism revenue of 478.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 26.3%. Based on this, it is predicted that the total number of tourists in Guangdong in 2024 will exceed 800 million, and total tourism revenue will exceed 1 trillion yuan.

Hainan: The Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government jointly plan the path of tourism development

On October 19, the 2024 Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Conference was successfully held in Sanya. This is also the first time that Hainan Province has held a provincial tourism development conference in the name of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. Feng Fei, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, delivered a speech, and Liu Xiaoming, Governor, presided over the meeting. Relevant leaders from the Industrial Development Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Dai Bin, director of the China Tourism Academy, and other industry experts were invited to attend. The convening of this conference reflects the high importance attached by the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government to the development of the tourism industry, as well as their firm determination to promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry.

△The 2024 Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Conference was held in Sanya (Source: Hainan Daily)

The meeting emphasized that to promote the sustained prosperity and high-quality development of Hainan's tourism industry, it is necessary to actively promote the integrated development model of "tourism +" and "+ tourism," expand the industrial chain and value chain of the tourism industry, and enhance the added value and competitiveness of tourism products. Digital empowerment is also one of the key points of the conference, requiring all localities to fully utilize modern information technology to promote the digital transformation and intelligent development of the tourism industry. At the same time, through the implementation of the "attracting tourists to the island" plan and special actions such as the development of inbound tourism markets, domestic and international tourist markets in Hainan will be expanded.

Hubei: Creating world-class tourist attractions and resorts

To date, although Hubei Province has not yet held the 2024 Provincial Tourism Development Conference, from the "Decision of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee on Deeply Studying and Implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Speech on Inspecting Hubei, and Strive to Write a New Chapter of Hubei's Chinese-Style Modernization" (hereinafter referred to as the "Decision") adopted at the 8th Plenary Session of the 12th Hubei Provincial Committee on November 28, we can glimpse the blueprint for the development of Hubei's tourism industry in the coming period.

The "Decision" clearly points out in the sixth part, the special chapter on culture, that it is necessary to assume the mission of strengthening the protection of cultural resources and promoting the innovative development of culture, and to promote cultural independence, self-reliance, and self-improvement. It is necessary to actively participate in the construction of the Yangtze River International Golden Tourism Belt, create world-class tourist attractions and resorts, polish the "Knowing Hubei, Encountering Everywhere" cultural tourism brand, promote the in-depth integration of culture and tourism, and cultivate the cultural tourism industry into a pillar industry of Hubei Province.

Conclusion

From General Secretary Xi Jinping's far-sighted instructions and guidance to the central government's first convening of the National Tourism Development Conference; from local party committees and governments jointly holding provincial tourism development conferences to the main leaders of provincial and municipal party and government jointly planning and mobilizing and deploying, we can clearly feel that under the strategic guidance of a strong cultural nation and a strong tourism nation, a new pattern of tourism development is gradually being established from the central to the local level, with the central government taking the lead, the provinces taking overall responsibility, the cities (counties) taking the lead, departments coordinating, and phased implementation.

Looking to the future, we have reason to believe that with the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee as a solid backing, with the main leaders of local party and government taking the lead, and with the active participation of all sectors of society and market entities, China's cultural and tourism industry will surely move steadily towards the goals of a new emerging strategic pillar industry and a people's livelihood industry and a happiness industry with distinct characteristics of the times, and successfully forge a unique path of Chinese tourism development!

References:

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3. Xinhua News Agency. (2024, 05, 18). Looking at the Prospects of China's Cultural and Tourism Market from the National Tourism Development Conference. [https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202405/content_6952173.htm].

4. Provincial Tourism Development (including Culture and Tourism) Conference Materials. [Government Public Information and News Agency Public Reports].