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51
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a
United Nations specialized agency, is the leading
international organization with the decisive and
central role in promoting the development of
responsible, sustainable and universally accessible
tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism
policy issues and a practical source of tourism
know-how. Its membership includes 158 countries, 12th UNWTO/PATA
Forum on Tourism Trends
6 territories, 2 permanent observers and over
500 Affiliate Members.

and Outlook
The Future of Tourism: Road to 2030
25 – 27 October 2018, Guilin, China

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)   www.unwto.org Executive Summary

${protocol}://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284420728 - Sunday, September 22, 2019 7:29:42 PM - IP Address:189.215.49.51
${protocol}://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284420728 - Sunday, September 22, 2019 7:29:42 PM - IP Address:189.215.49.51

12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on

Tourism Trends and Outlook
The Future of Tourism: Road to 2030

25 – 27 October 2018, Guilin, China

Executive Summary

Prepared by: School of Hotel and Tourism Management

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
${protocol}://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284420728 - Sunday, September 22, 2019 7:29:42 PM - IP Address:189.215.49.51

Copyright © 2019, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Copyright cover photo: © Sean Pavone | Dreamstime.com

12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook – The Future of Tourism: Road to 2030
25 – 27 October 2018, Guilin, China, Executive Summary
ISBN, printed version: 978-92-844-2071-1
ISBN, electronic version: 978-92-844-2072-8 | DOI: 10.18111/9789284420728

Published by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Madrid, Spain.

First published: 2019
All rights reserved.

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or area, or of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The opinions contained in this publication are exclusive from the authors and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of the World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Citation: World Tourism Organization (2019), 12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook –
The Future of Tourism: Road to 2030, 25 – 27 October 2018, Guilin, China, Executive Summary, UNWTO, Madrid,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284420728

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 T

Introduction
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Jointly organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) in collaboration with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) and Guilin
Municipal People’s Government, the 12th edition of the UNWTO/PATA Forum was held in Guilin,
China, from 25 to 27 October 2018.

The Forum has been successfully held since 2007 in Guilin, China, providing an annual Pan-Asia-
Pacific platform for policymakers, senior officials, researchers and industry representatives to take
stock of global and regional trends and to better understand their potential impacts on tourism
development. The event, under the joint umbrella of UNWTO and PATA, allows participants to
share information, analyze current and future trends and map out the adequate course of action
for the future.

Overarched under the theme ‘The Future of Tourism – Road to 2030’, the 2018 Forum aimed to:
1. Explore and identify major global trends and issues that will affect the future of tourism;
2. Chart the way forward in dealing with trends, issues and challenges; and
3. Facilitate dialogue and knowledge exchange amongst industry, policymakers and academics
so as to promote tourism as an instrument for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).

The 2018 edition drew attendees from 22 countries, including officials from national tourism
administrations, tourism authorities from UNWTO Member States, representatives from tourism
industries, academia, research associates and consultants, the media, as well as local tourism
authorities.

This annual Forum has become an important platform for the dissemination of applied tourism
research, and for nurturing a community of learning and practice in tourism and hospitality.

The unfailing support and presence of the Guilin Municipal People’s Government throughout the
Forum serves as a strong indicator of the fruitful closure of the event for another year.

All presentations are available at:

http://asiapacific.unwto.org/event/12th-unwtopata-forum-tourism-trends-and-outlook
 4 12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook

Key takeaways

–– A better understanding of the evolving tourism landscape is needed so as to adopt

the adequate policies and right business strategies.

–– Sustainability is at the core of tourism development towards 2030. Societal

behaviours towards a sustainable future and the distribution of wealth generated by
tourism can be important drivers of change.
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–– Digital advances provide opportunities to tourism in order to enhance inclusiveness,

community empowerment and efficient resource management to achieve the SDGs.

–– Digital advances and data can be used to support sustainable tourism for
development. Digital transformation and innovation can move sustainability to the
next level.
 T

A.  Technical sessions

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The technical sessions (25 October) provided policymakers, practitioners and academics with
a platform to exchange their views and perspectives on various aspects related to the theme.
Trends, challenges and best practices were discussed. Structurally the discussion was developed
around four sessions:
1. Tourism Trends towards 2030
2. Human Capital Development Towards 2030
3. The Future of China Tourism
4. Technological Frontiers of Future Tourism

1.  Setting the Scene: Tourism Trends towards 2030

moderated by Michel Julian

Program Officer, Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness, UNWTO

Panelists:

John Koldowski
Professor, Leshan Normal University, China
Special Advisor, PATA

David Airey
Professor, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey, United Kingdom

Haitham Mattar
CEO of Ras AL Khaimah Tourism Development Authority

Key messages

–– Growth of world tourism is expected to continue at a sustained pace.

–– Sustainability will remain mainstream in the future of tourism.

–– Innovation, technology and education are main drivers of job creation, economic
regeneration and sustainable growth in the future of tourism.
 6 12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook

2.  Panel session: ‘Human capital development towards 2030’

moderated by Dr. Honggen Xiao

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Panelists:

Catherine Cheung
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Associate Dean and Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Victor Chua
Managing Partner, Vynn Capital, Malaysia

Chris Bottrill
Director International, Capilano University, Canada and
PATA Chairman

Charitha Abeyratne Hettiarachchi

Founder and Chief Executive, Saraii Village,

Key messages

–– Cultural diversity, youth development, entrepreneurship, gendered workforce, and

women leadership are amongst the main features to define human capital
development in the future of tourism.

–– Visions and strategies are called in need to nurture young talents and to advance
women leadership and adaptive entrepreneurship.

–– Developing a relationship with the host community for genuine interactions will have
a positive impact on youth´s responsibility toward society.
 The Future of Tourism: Road to 2030 7

3.  Keynote session ‘The Future of China Tourism’

moderated by Dr. Catherine Cheung

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Panelists:

Yan Hann
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Deputy Secretary General of World Tourism Cities Federation

Professor Nelson Graburn

Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America

Professor Bao Jigang

School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University, China

Professor Cheng Daopin’s

President, Guilin Tourism University, China

Professor Ling Changrong

Department of Tourism Management, Guangxi University, China

Key messages

–– Sustainable development is both a vision and a major goal for the governance of the
future of China tourism.

–– Cooperation is key to address major challenges for the future of world tourism cities.

–– Traditional “authentic” rural villages as opposed to commercial rural villages.

–– Building a China-ASEAN tourism education community under the belt and road
framework.

–– Alternative forms such as wellness and rural tourism could be useful approaches to
achieve sustainability.

–– Further integration of China within the regional and world tourism scene is an
essential next step.
 8 12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook

4.  Panel session ‘Technological Frontiers of Future Tourism’

moderated by John Koldowski

PATA

Panelists:

Dr. Sangwon Park

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Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management,

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Mr. Ivan Cintado

VP Sales and Marketing APAC, Smartvel, Thailand

Dr. Bu Naipeng (Tom)

Executive Director, Tourism and Service Management Research Center,
Shandong University, China

Ms. Irene Lee

Sales Director – North Asia, Adara, Hong Kong (China)

Key messages

–– Despite the challenge of fragmentation, big data is empowering the next generation
of destination marketing and management, and future destinations will hence
become increasingly smarter.

–– When using big data, the following factors should be considered: transparency,
reliability, verification, and availability.

–– The emergent shift of focus from big data to artificial intelligence has huge
implications for tourism consumers, employers and service providers in the future,
detecting how to make predictions and recommendations with outstanding
estimation accuracy.

–– Digital transformation is changing the ways future industries will interact with their
customers.
 T

B.  Plenary sessions

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1.  Opening keynote on the future of tourism

by Dr. Ian Yeoman

Associate Professor and futurologist specializing in travel and tourism, Victoria University of
Wellington, New Zealand

Dr. Ian Yeoman delivered the keynote speech on the future of tourism highlighting the importance
of two drivers of change and setting four different scenarios.

Key messages

–– Tourism creates growth, opportunity and a better society.

–– Two main challenges face the sector: the alignment with the SDGs and the managing
of increased number of visitors in specific locations.

–– There are two main forces driving change in the future tourism:
1. The societal behaviour towards sustainability which ranges from “me first” to
an “adaptative” attitude; and
2. The distribution of wealth which ranges from growth to the polarization of
society.

–– We have to find adaptive solutions embedded in the SDGs and the Paris Agreement
or a “me-first”-attitude we take across the world.

–– What tourism is today may not be what it is tomorrow.

–– Engage and plan with stakeholders and communicated to avoid a dystopian tourism
future.

Full presentation:
http://asiapacific.unwto.org/event/12th-unwtopata-forum-tourism-trends-and-outlook
 10 12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook

2.  Keynote Session: Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

moderated by Michel Julian

UNWTO

Panelists:

Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya

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Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Asia and the South Pacific,
Tourism Authority of Thailand

Sarah Mathews
Head of Destination Marketing APAC, TripAdvisor, Hong Kong (China)

Dean Kaye Chon

elaborated on human capital development for hospitality and tourism

Dr. Tang Xiaoyun

Chief Researcher, China Tourism Academy

Eduardo Santander
Executive Director and CEO, European Travel Commission

This keynote session featured topics around SDGs such as reducing inequality through regional
development, gender equality and empowerment, tourism as quality of life and wellbeing in
China’s social and economic development, and Chinese outbound tourism from the European
perspective in light of the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year.

Key messages

–– The future is not for us to see, but to proactively reflect and react.

–– With proper governance, tourism works effectively as a national strategy to promote

sustainable development, to alleviate poverty and regional inequality, and to
enhance quality of life and wellbeing for people in destination economies including
digital competency and strong sense of social responsibility.

–– Human capital development towards 2030 is likely to see changes in management

culture, gender balance, and skill sets for career success.

–– Diversity matters in the future of tourism workforce, where industry collaboration

with the government, academia and the media would likely empower gender equality
and women leadership in tourism and hospitality.

–– In view of the growing Chinese outbound tourism, the 2018 EU/China Tourism Year
initiatives do not only aim at increasing the number of tourists to/from origin and
 The Future of Tourism: Road to 2030 11

destination, but it also provides opportunities for investment and intercultural

understanding and exchange between the two spaces.

3.  Panel Session: Tourism Policies and Business in the 2030s

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moderated by John Koldowski

PATA

Panelists:

Christine Liu Regional Manager

North Asia, STR

Liu Daoqiang
President, Fantawild Group, China

Zenbon Tei
Director of Global Strategy Headquarters, Japan National Tourism Organization

Dionisis Kolokotsas
Public Policy and Government Relations, Google Asia-Pacific

Li Xinjian’s
Professor and Dean, School of Tourism Management,
Beijing International Studies University, China

Key messages

–– In light of digital transformation and smart tourism, policy recommendations can be

made to continue investing in high-speed Internet, to address digital skills shortages,
to facilitate data innovation and cross-border data flows, and to promote innovation
and competition for industry players in the future.

–– Big data could be more effectively used to assess the sector situation, analyse
performances, and forecast patterns and trends for future development.

–– National tourism organizations should assume the role of a key player and engage
with stakeholders in fostering both inbound and outbound tourism through effective
communication, coordination, innovation and leadership.

–– The recent integration of tourism and culture into a new ministry in China will bring
these two components of related businesses and industries to a new height.
 12 12th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook

4.  Keynote Session: The Future of Technology in/for Tourism,

moderated by Dr. Sangwon Park

HKPU

This keynote session featured an array of topics, including smart tourism and the emerging global
digital ecosystem, smart tourism 2030, revitalizing the tourism industry through big data and the
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implementation of mobile positioning data for tourism in Indonesia.

Panelists:

Dimitrios Buhalis
Professor, Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom

Jason Song
CEO, Drore Information and Technology, China

Hea-jeang Yun
Senior Vice President, Big Data Business Support Unit, KT Corporation, Republic of Korea

Faruk Alfian
Head of Data Analysis and Marketing Information, Indonesia Ministry of Tourism

Key messages

–– Big data, with mobile positioning data being a ready instance, has the potential to
revitalize industries and to further enhance smart tourism.

–– While technology changes the world of tourism, tourists are its master and smart
players. The destination has to pay importance to the massive user-generated
content which influences the reputation of destination brands and ultimately impacts
the social, cultural, economic and sustainability of the destination.

–– Big Data projects with local government in the Republic of Korea using roaming
data establishes tourist friendly policies and procedures, creates business
opportunities and increases satisfaction based on travel content generated with big
data.
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${protocol}://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284420728 - Sunday, September 22, 2019 7:29:42 PM - IP Address:189.215.49.51

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a

United Nations specialized agency, is the leading
international organization with the decisive and
central role in promoting the development of
responsible, sustainable and universally accessible
tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism
policy issues and a practical source of tourism
know-how. Its membership includes 158 countries, 12th UNWTO/PATA
Forum on Tourism Trends
6 territories, 2 permanent observers and over
500 Affiliate Members.

and Outlook
The Future of Tourism: Road to 2030
25 – 27 October 2018, Guilin, China

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)   www.unwto.org Executive Summary