2025 WTCF Europe Regional Tourism Conference Successfully HeldSmart Visions for the Future: Reshaping High-End Tourism

<article><section data-type="rtext"><p>The WTCF Europe Regional Tourism Conference 2025, themed "Smart Visions for the Future: Reshaping High-End Tourism," was successfully convened in Marbella, Spain from November 11th to 13th. Jointly organized by the World Tourism Cities Federation(WTCF), Marbella City Council, the Andalusia Regional Government, and Costa del Sol, the conference gathered over 200 delegates from 15 countries and regions, achieving multi-dimensional outcomes in strengthening urban tourism cooperation, promoting sustained global market recovery, and enhancing tourism vitality. </p><p>Ángeles Muñoz, Mayor of Marbella, pointed out that Marbella has become an important dialogue bridge between China and Europe, tradition and innovation, tourism and sustainable development. According to data, in the first eight months of 2025, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Spain surpassed 500,000, with an average spending of 2,600 euros per person. This has made a significant contribution to the country's global tourism GDP. </p><p>Chen Bo, Executive Director of WTCF, stated that since its establishment in 2012, the federation has gathered 257 members from 87 countries and regions, creating a cooperation network that "connects five continents and serves the entire industry". He offered three suggestions, urging the tourism sectors of China and Europe to embrace digital and intelligent empowerment, cultural and tourism integration, and mutually beneficial win-win outcomes. He called for joint efforts to create a new model of high-end tourism, activate new development drivers, and opening up new avenues for cooperation. </p><aside id="content-ad"><script type="text/javascript">window.AD_SURVEY_Add_AdPos && AD_SURVEY_Add_AdPos("7004636");</script></aside><p>Daniel Rosado, Deputy Chief of Strategy at Turespaña, introduced that Spain is strengthening its leading position in the global tourism market through a €3.4 billion national tourism strategic plan. In 2024, it welcomed nearly 94 million tourists and generated 123 billion euros in tourism revenue. In the future, it will continue to deepen its interaction with the Chinese market. </p><p>Renée Kachler, Business Development Director of Costa del Sol Tourism Board, stated that the Sun Coast is renowned for its beauty, climate, culture, and enthusiasm, making it a high-end luxury tourist destination. We are deeply committed to high-end tourism, relying on high-quality hotel facilities, security guarantees, and diverse experiences to meet the needs of high-net-worth customers. </p><p>Carlos García Giménez, Territorial Delegate for Tourism, Culture, and Sport in Málaga, stated that the global tourism industry is deeply interdependent, and the close connection between the Chinese and European markets opens up broad prospects for cooperation and shared growth. Technology has profoundly transformed the ways of travel, consumption, and destination interaction, driving the industry to shift from a quantity-oriented approach to a quality-oriented one. High-end tourism, which combines exquisite experiences with profound values such as culture and heritage, has become an important vehicle for mutual learning among civilizations. </p><p>During the keynote speech and thematic forum sessions, the attending delegates engaged in a lively discussion on the deep integration of digital intelligence technology and high-end tourism, generating many innovative ideas. Ning Guoxin, Vice President of Utour Group, stated that artificial intelligence is reshaping the high-end travel experience. It enables personalized itinerary customization through precise user profiling, adjusts and optimizes itineraries with real-time data, and creates a seamless experience with features such as seamless check-in, intelligent navigation, and barrier-free language communication. He provided an example to introduce the VR experience project created by Utour for Jingdezhen, allowing tourists to immerse themselves in the history and craftsmanship of porcelain culture. The virtual and real superimposed application of VR and AR technologies not only protects the original ecological scenery but also enriches the dimensions of the tourism experience. </p><p>At the "Technology Empowering All-Season Operations of High-End Tourism" forum, Ada Xu, Director of International Affairs at Fliggy/Alibaba Group, introduced that Fliggy provides one-stop travel services for Chinese tourists by integrating payment, mapping, logistics, and other resources from Alibaba's ecosystem. By leveraging AI technology, the platform can accurately identify tourists' demands, tailor cultural experience products, and provide real-time information services to tourists through digital tools such as "Ask Me", effectively addressing the seasonal tourism issue. Zhang Bo, General Manager of Qinghai Guoxin International Travel Company, shared practical experience. His company has collaborated with China Telecom and DeepSeek to build an AI customer service system, integrating data on Qinghai's tourism resources. With warm and intelligent services, it responds to the demands of C-end customers, increasing the order conversion rate from less than 20% to 40% and extending the duration of the local peak tourist season. </p><p>Professor Tokumura Shisei from Hangzhou Normal University emphasized that intelligent technology can enhance efficiency, but it cannot replace the emotional connection between people. The "three senses" service of "gratitude, appreciation and touching" is the core to retain tourists. Wolfgang G. Arlt, Executive Director of Meaningful Tourism Centre, pointed out that digital and intelligent technologies should focus on specific fields. For instance, by applying digital technologies and tools, some students have gone to India and Nepal for learning outside the classroom. </p><p>The conference focused on practical cooperation. Through cultural tourism promotion, specialized training, and tourism B2B matchmaking, it facilitated the precise matching of tourism resources between China and Europe and promoted multiple cooperation initiatives. During the cultural and tourism promotion session, Beijing's cultural and tourism resources and facilitation policies, China's overall cultural and tourism resources and entry policies, as well as the local tourism resources of the Andalusia region and Marbella, were successively presented, providing clear guidance for the market expansion of both sides. The Spanish National Tourism Board will hold a reverse matchmaking event for the Chinese market in the near future, inviting 40 Chinese buyers to gather in Madrid to deepen industry cooperation between China and Spain. </p><p>The integration of culture and tourism is the core consensus of this conference. All the guests present unanimously believe that culture is the soul of high-end tourism and the bond connecting the hearts of the people of China and Europe. Xu Tingting, Subdirector of the China Cultural Center in Madrid, stated that China is attracting more European tourists by optimizing visa policies, enhancing the convenience of mobile payments, and increasing direct flight routes. Currently, there are 61 direct flights between China and Spain. Spain has become one of the most favored European destinations for Chinese tourists. Meanwhile, China's rich cultural heritage and tourism resources also offer unique experience options for Spanish tourists. </p><p>Chinese travel enterprises are also actively promoting cultural dissemination and experience innovation. Rocky You shared the Beijing Peking Opera Cultural Cycling Experience Project, where tourists can tour the birthplace of Peking Opera with the help of technology by cycling, interact with professional actors, and immerse themselves in the charm of this national treasure of China, promoting China's cultural and tourism resources to the world. </p><p>The successful organization of this conference not only established a regular platform for exchanges and cooperation between the tourism industries of China and Europe, but also clarified the high-end tourism development direction of digital intelligence empowerment, culture and tourism integration, and mutual benefit. In the future, the WTCF will continue to play the role of a bridge and link, promoting the efficient allocation of tourism resources between China and Europe, making tourism an important vehicle for promoting mutual learning among civilizations and enhancing friendly relations, and writing a new chapter in the high-quality development of global tourism.</p></section></article>