Tourism recovery in China focus of summit

The China Tourism Academy and Trip.com Group joined hands to hold a tourism summit on April 29 and 30 via video conference and livestream, delving into how to tackle the impact of COVID-19 and boost the development of the tourism industry in China.

About 4,000 attendees such as government officials and scholars registered to join the conference online.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Luo Shugang said in his opening speech that the ministry has made an overall arrangement of boosting tourism recovery on the basis of pandemic prevention, and tourism corporations, associations, colleges, universities and institutions have actively taken on their responsibility during the ongoing process.

He said academic research about tourism should focus on high-quality development of the industry, with a combination of factors such as culture and tourism, theory and practice.

Chancellors and teachers from tourism colleges and universities shared their experiences on higher education during the pandemic, such as online courses. Experts exchanged views on long-term marketing strategies for tourism recovery in China.

“The pandemic may move tourists to seek a higher-quality tour product. As the pandemic has affected their income, they will be more sensitive to prices. Tourism corporations should be aware of such changes and come up with solutions,” said Li Xinjian, a professor at Beijing International Studies University.

"Promoting tourism products via livestream has been popular during the pandemic. It’s essential to figure out how to enhance brand influence and establish a professional marketing team,"he said.