The 2026 Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit of the World Tourism Cities Federation opened on Monday in Beijing, bringing together government officials, city representatives, industry leaders, and experts from around the world to discuss how digital technologies are reshaping the future of tourism.
Hosted by the WTCF and jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Haidian district, the summit is themed "Smart Tourism, Better Future".
More than 800 delegates from 74 cities across 56 countries and regions attended the event, including vice-ministerial tourism officials, mayors, heads of international organizations, and representatives from tourism enterprises, academic institutions and media organizations.
Addressing the opening ceremony, participants highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence, big data and smart infrastructure in transforming tourism development, destination management and visitor experiences.
Elvis La Torre Unaccori, mayor of Machupicchu, Peru, says tourism serves as a powerful driver of economic, social and cultural development, while also strengthening people-to-people exchanges between countries. He notes that world-renowned heritage sites, such as Machu Picchu and the Great Wall, underscore the importance of international cooperation in preserving and promoting cultural heritage.
Gloria Guevara, chief executive officer of the World Travel & Tourism Council, says Beijing's inbound tourism market continued to show strong momentum, with international arrivals growing 15.8 percent year-on-year in 2025. She notes that China's tourism economy expanded by 9.9 percent last year, outperforming the global average.
Guevara said the travel and tourism sector generated $1.6 trillion globally last year and remains one of the world's most important job creators, accounting for one out of every three new jobs generated worldwide over the past five years.
During the summit, the WTCF and the Pacific Asia Travel Association jointly released the World Tourism Destination Competitiveness Index 2026 — The Digital City Edition. Evaluating major destinations across indicators such as digital infrastructure, smart tourism applications and data-driven services, the report ranked Beijing first among the world's top digital tourism cities.
The summit also saw the release of the Ten Applications Scenarios of Science and Technology in the Field of Cultural Tourism in Beijing, showcasing innovations including AI travel assistants, intelligent service robots, seamless digital travel services, digital heritage experiences, and AI-generated personalized tourism content.
Additionally, 11 new city and institutional members joined the federation and participated in the launch of the Beijing Initiative, a proposal calling for closer international cooperation in advancing digital transformation across the tourism sector.
Founded in Beijing, the World Tourism Cities Federation is the world's first international tourism organization centered on cities. It now has 263 members from 89 countries and regions.
