World Tourism Cities Federation hosts important sessions @ ITB Berlin NOW convention
The World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) is back again this year as exclusive co-host of the ITB Berlin NOW Convention – bringing two important sessions to the conference.
Yesterday, Ms. Pang Wei, Deputy Director of Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, delivered a keynote speech on the topic “City Tourism after covid-19: Tourism Re-Start of Beijing”, sharing information on the steps that were taken by Beijing City to contain the outbreak and get life adjusted to the “new normal”.
Ms Pang outlined a comprehensive eight-point plan to rekindle business in the tourism sector, ensuring, among other things, flexible services and support as an innovative partner of the tourism sector, focusing on flagship projects and leading enterprises, incubating high potential enterprises, and strengthening the reputation and quality of brands. WTCF is working to foster new technologies in tourism, promote the development of smart tourism, mainstream the concept of “no reservation, no travel”, and maintain a safe, friendly and reliable market environment.
In another session yesterday, WTCF partnered with the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI) headquartered in Hamburg, on the topic of “New Normal, New Practice”. The presentations and discussions addressed the question of how we will travel after the pandemic. They explored potential new ways of travelling and new modes of tourism that emerge during the recovery process. The experts also discussed if and what new standards are likely to be put in practice when travelling. The session was kicked-off by Philip Dodd, Chairman of Made in China UK, who was named as one of the most important global thinkers 2016 by China Business News. His keynote speech “Using cultural exchanges as a way to create new forms of urban tourism” set the scene for the roundtable moderated by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Arlt, CEO of COTRI. The sessions can be found online on itb-now.com.
Photo: Guangzhou – © R. Barnes / Cleverdis
Convention Opening & Welcome from our Co-Host WTCF
Today, Friday, 12 March 2021 – 10:00 – 10:15
ITB Berlin NOW Convention Stage 1
