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After the unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has hailed the reopening of China as the “final piece in tourism’s recovery”. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili led a high-level delegation to Hangzhou to join in the official reopening, which marks a major boost to economic growth and social opportunity, not only in Asia and the Pacific but globally.

According to UNWTO data, the pandemic cost destinations worldwide a staggering $270 billion in Chinese outbound tourist spending in 2020 and 2021 alone. With the lifting of travel restrictions, the UNWTO sees this moment as one that the world has been waiting for, as it signals a turning point in the recovery of the sector.

China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hu Heping, warmly welcomed UNWTO’s support throughout the pandemic and for joining the official reopening celebrations. In a bilateral meeting, Minister Hu Heping and Secretary-General Pololikashvili agreed to further deepen their collaboration around positioning tourism on the agenda for international development cooperation, as well as in the key areas of tourism education and tourism for rural development.

Before the pandemic, China had become the world’s biggest tourism source market, with Chinese tourists spending a collective $255 billion on international travel in 2019. Domestic tourism also served as a pillar of growth and employment, with more than 6 billion trips in that year alone, supporting jobs and businesses across the country.

Reflecting UNWTO’s work to make tourism a driving force of rural development, the high-level delegation was welcomed to Yucun, one of four Chinese destinations recognized among the “Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO”. The village was awarded this recognition for its commitment to making tourism a source of local opportunity, as well as its eco-friendly tourism and pioneering approach to waste management at the destination level.

UNWTO was also welcomed as a partner of the Xianghu Dialogue, organized by the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) in Hangzhou, which brought together public and private sector leaders to re-think the sector’s future around the key priorities of sustainability, equality, and resilience. The event addressed key topics such as promoting collaborative tourism development amongst countries and regions, international cooperation and poverty reduction through tourism, smart connectivity, destination management and planning, and innovation and new business models.

In the past year, China has established itself as a leading supporter of UNWTO in several core priority areas, including Nature Positive Tourism, which UNWTO placed on the agenda of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), for which China served as President.

As the sector continues to rebuild and look towards the future, UNWTO will return to China in September for the Global Tourism Economic Forum (GTEF), to be held in Macau. The tenth edition of the forum will provide a platform for governments, business leaders, experts, and academics to advance shared plans for the sustainable development of tourism.

As we celebrate this milestone in tourism’s recovery, it is essential to continue collaborating towards sustainable, responsible, and inclusive tourism. Let us all work towards ensuring that the industry not only recovers but thrives for generations to come.