"2024 China-Africa Cultural and Tourism Cooperation and Exchange Conference" was successfully held in Jinhua, Zhejiang

On November 8, 2024, the "2024 China-Africa Cultural and Tourism Cooperation and Exchange Conference" co-organized by the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the China Tourism Academy, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Jinhua Municipal People's Government was held in Jinhua, Zhejiang. With the theme of "Cultural Silk Road Hearts Connected China and Africa Work Together to Move Forward", the forum provides a platform for cooperation and exchange for the China-Africa cultural and tourism industries.

In his video speech, Abd Suleiman Jumbo, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Zanzibar, Tanzania, expressed his celebration of the 60 years of friendly diplomatic relations between China and Tanzania, and emphasized the deep partnership between China and Tanzania in tourism, cultural heritage and economic cooperation, especially the cooperation opportunities under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Cultural and tourism cooperation is very important. Although China and Africa are separated by oceans, their traditional friendship has a long history. Standing at a new starting point, China and Africa are pursuing the dream of modernization together, carrying the common yearning of the Chinese and African people for a better life, and are the common choice of both sides to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Li Xinfang, deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism, said that under the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, the exchanges and cooperation between Zhejiang and Africa have continued to deepen, especially in the field of culture and tourism. The two sides have jointly promoted the integration and mutual learning of Chinese and African civilizations through diversified exchanges, and jointly written a new chapter of cooperation in the new era.

Xu Peng, vice chairman of the World Tourism Alliance, said that China-Africa cultural and tourism cooperation is constantly deepening. Tourism, as an important link to promote friendship and economic development between the two countries, will continue to promote extensive cooperation and sustainable development in the tourism field between China and Africa.

Zhu Chonglie, secretary of the Jinhua Municipal Party Committee, said that Jinhua has actively responded to the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and has used cultural and tourism cooperation as a link to deepen China-Africa cultural exchanges, promote people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and participate in building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. Cooperation is moving towards a new realm of promoting common prosperity.

In the keynote speech session, Tang Xiaoyun, Vice President of the China Tourism Academy, delivered a speech entitled "New Driving Force and Future Direction of China-Africa Tourism Cooperation". Tang Xiaoyun pointed out that under the strategic framework of China and Africa jointly promoting modernization and building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, a series of positive factors are taking shape in the development of China-Africa tourism. Strategic vision and partnership actions, policy innovation and market vitality release, diversified demand and supply innovation, as well as technological dividends and industrial modernization levels have injected new driving force into the development of China-Africa tourism. Looking to the future, we should build a more open, interconnected, eco-friendly and sustainable tourism cooperation community with the support of new technologies. She said that China and Africa should work together to contribute to the recovery and prosperity of the global tourism industry.

During the cultural and tourism promotion session by African ambassadors to China, Anne Lafortina, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles to China, Allan Chintezha, Ambassador of the Republic of Malawi to China, Kenneth Rabale, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lesotho to China, Oliver Voneka, Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to China and Batrang Serema, Ambassador of the Republic of Botswana to China, gave wonderful presentations on their national conditions, tourism development policies, tourism resources, tourism products and services.

Yang Jinsong, Director of the International Research Institute of the China Tourism Academy, hosted the high-level dialogue session.

The theme of this session is "'Tourism + Technology' Illuminates Cultural Heritage". Focusing on this theme, Yang Jinsong had in-depth exchanges and discussions with Efra Yim, Director of the Tanzanian National Tourism Bureau, Osman Abdi Mohamed, Director of the Djibouti National Tourism Bureau, Daling Denei Rodrigo, Executive Director of the African Film and Television Center of the African Institute, Fikri Jesus Yamahassen, Research Analyst of the Eritrean Ministry of Information, Yang Hong, Deputy Director of the Ancient Architecture Department of the Palace Museum, Kong Deyuan, Assistant to the Dean of the China Tourism Group Research Institute, Lao Jingjing of Yuanhai International Tourism Group, and Luo Lianggang, General Manager of Xinlv (Shanghai) International Travel Service Co., Ltd.

Efra Imu, Director of the Tanzania National Tourism Board, shared Tanzania’s tourism resources and development status, calling on Chinese tourists to travel to Tanzania and market players to seize investment opportunities in Tanzania.

Yang Hong, deputy director of the Ancient Architecture Department of the Palace Museum, introduced the efforts and achievements made by the Palace Museum in the digitization of cultural heritage and cultural and creative design. He believed that the new business innovation of "culture + technology" is an effective way to enhance the value and influence of cultural heritage.

Osman Abdi Mohammed, Director of the Djibouti National Tourism Bureau, introduced Djibouti's unique tourism resources, emphasized the advantages of Djibouti's geographical location, and particularly pointed out that cooperation projects with China have already been implemented. He hopes to strengthen tourism cooperation with China in the future.

Kong Deyuan, assistant to the director of the China Tourism Group Research Institute, introduced the specific products and cases of China Tourism Group in the integration of culture, tourism and technology. He pointed out that China Tourism Group has improved its efficiency through VR, artificial intelligence and big data, and has achieved gratifying results in user experience and product innovation.

Dr. Rodrigo, Executive Director of the African Film and Television Center of the African Institute, proposed that film, as a symbol of image culture, is an important bridge for cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation between China and Africa. He emphasized that data should be used to support the telling of the China-Africa story and that language should be used as the key to open the door to cultural and tourism exchanges.

Lao Jingjing of Yuanhai International Tourism Group introduced the group's business in the field of destination management in Africa in detail, emphasized the role of culture in promoting tourism product innovation, and demonstrated the complementary relationship between culture and tourism. She also put forward her own views on how to better empower the development of heritage tourism through culture + technology.

Dr. Fikri Jesus Yamahasin, a research analyst at the Eritrean Ministry of Information, said that China plays an important role in Africa and has played an important role in the development of Sino-African culture and tourism. He stressed that measures in education and research cooperation, policy and system can promote tourism and cultural exchanges between the two sides.

Luo Lianggang, general manager of Xinlv (Shanghai) International Travel Service Co., Ltd., shared the new changes that technological development has brought to the management level of enterprises, and talked about how data technology can empower and improve business management. He hopes that these experiences can provide useful reference for China-Africa tourism exchanges and cooperation.

In the subsequent exchange session on "The Encounter between Chinese Jiangnan Culture and African Swahili Culture", Chinese and African guests engaged in in-depth exchanges and put forward constructive suggestions for promoting China-Africa tourism cooperation.

Our postdoctoral fellow Ma Xiaofen and research assistant Shao Yufei attended the exchange meeting.

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