The 15th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook is scheduled to be held in Guilin, China and online through a hybrid format under the theme of ‘Tourism and Rural Development.’
Tourism has proven to be a tool for economic diversification and a major employment engine with a multiplier effect on other sectors that contribute to rural development. Tourism can enhance the link between urban and rural areas, by spreading benefits of the sector. Tourism can also play a key role in rural development by tackling seasonality, reducing migration, fighting depopulation, protecting heritage and biodiversity, as well as creating opportunities for local communities.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered rising interest from tourists looking for new experiences around natural and rural areas in the open air, far from congested settings. This, combined with the already rising demand for more authentic experiences that offer stronger engagement with local communities, their culture, and products, as well as demand for a greener approach in all stages of the travel experience, will open up immense opportunities for the economic, social and environmental revitalisation of rural areas through tourism.
In view of the above, the 15th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook will address the theme ‘Tourism and Rural Development’ in its 2021 annual conference and deliver on the following objectives:
Analyse the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry in the context of the pandemic, with a focus on tourism fostering rural development.
Exchange views on and prepare for the transition and transformation of tourism into a more sustainable, resilient and ethical development.
Share practices and strategies on tourism recovery with an emphasis on the promotion of domestic travel, staycation and community-based tourism.
The 15th UNWTO/ PATA Forum on Tourism Trends & Outlook
Oct 15 (Fri)
0830 - 0910 Opening Remarks
ZHOU Jiabin, Secretary of Guilin Municipal Committee of the CPC
Zurab POLOLIKASHVILI, Secretary-General, UNWTO
Liz ORTIGUERA, CEO, PATA
Kaye CHON, Dean and Chair Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
LI Bin, Vice Chairman, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People’s Government
0910 - 0950
Keynote Presentation: Tourism and Rural Development: Instances and Practices in Guangxi and Yunnan, China
XIAO Qu, Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
BAOJigang, Professor of Sun Yat-sen University, Director of the Monitoring Center for UNWTO Sustainable Tourism Observatories
Download Speaker Slides: Azheke Plan & Thoughts on Guilin’s Tourism Development (Chinese)
1020 - 1120
Session 1: Placing Tourism as a Strategic Pillar in Policies for Rural Development
Sandra CARVAO, Chief, Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness , UNWTO
Christina LEALA GALE, Manager of the Sustainable Tourism and Research Division, South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO)
Amran HAMZAH, Professor in Tourism Planning and Director, Centre for Innovative Planning and Development (CIPD), Centre for Innovative Planning and Development (CIPD), University Technology Malaysia Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying
Patrick TORRENT, Executive Director, Catalan Tourist Board
Olivia FONTELA, Marketing Director, EscapadaRural
1120 - 1250
Session 2: New Opportunities for Tourism and Rural Development: Sustainability, Innovation, and Technology & Video Sharing
John KOLDOWSKI, Special Advisor, PATA, and Professor & Foreign Expert, School of Tourism, Leshan Normal University, Sichuan, China
Joseph CHEER, Professor, Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University, Japan
Graham HARPER, Sustainability & Social Responsibility, Advisor, PATA
Annette SHARP, Director, China Digital Agency and The Mana Tourism Collective, Australia
Russel WONG: Featured landscape photography
1415 - 1440
Keynote Presentation: Rural Revitalization through Tourism Development— The Next Stage of Tourism-Based Poverty Alleviation
LIU Shijun, Secretary General of World Tourism Alliance, Beijing, China
1440 - 1605
Session 3: Rural Development Through Tourism: The Prospects and Perspectives of Education
XIAO Honggen, Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
CHAN I Man, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Carla VENNIN, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
WU Zhongjun, College of Tourism and Landscape Architecture, Guilin University of Technology
Claire CHIANG, Senior Vice President / Chairperson - China Business Development, BanyanTree Holdings Ltd.
1620 - 1750
Session 4: Short-range Source Markets for Guilin Tourism
XIAO Qu, Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Kaye CHON, Dean and Chair Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
SHEN Han, Professor, Department of Tourism, Fudan University
Ben KGOH, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Macau University of Science and Technology
Sarah WANG, Regional Director – Greater China, World Travel & Tourism Council
1750 - 1820
Closing Remarks
Harry WANG, Director, Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO
Liz ORTIGUERA, CEO, PATA
XIAO Qu, Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University