The China-UAE Tourism Cooperation Forum was successfully held online.

On July 16th, the China-UAE Tourism Cooperation Forum was held online. The forum focused on the theme of "Integration and Innovation in the New Era" and was conducted through online discussions and online exhibitions. It was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates, and jointly organized by the China Tourism Academy, the Executive Committee of "Embracing China" of the United Arab Emirates, and the China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation. This forum was a core component of the first China-UAE Economic and Trade Digital Expo held from July 15th to July 21st, 2020. It invited cultural and tourism authorities from both China and the UAE, as well as relevant enterprises and institutions in the cultural and tourism sectors, to participate, and introduced leading cultural and tourism projects from both sides to be exhibited at this digital expo.

At the opening ceremony, Xie Jinying, Director-General of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism and Business Promotion Authority, and Li Xuhang, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Dubai, delivered speeches respectively. Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy, delivered a keynote speech. Issam Kazim warmly congratulated the forum on its opening. He first introduced Dubai's measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic and the current situation, noting the strong relationship between China and the UAE in tourism exchange and cooperation, as well as in jointly responding to COVID-19. He stated that adapting to and embracing change is always important, which is what Dubai represents and why we are gathered here today. Dubai is confident in delivering a more meaningful Expo in the post-pandemic world. Dubai has implemented the "China Ready" plan and taken many steps to ensure successful exchanges with Chinese tourists and to more actively welcome them. This event will help further strengthen the relationship between the UAE and China. He hopes all partners and stakeholders will achieve maximum success in their future work and looks forward to closer cooperation for the benefit of all participants. Li Xuhang pointed out that in recent years, China-Arab economic and trade relations have developed rapidly, and the level of cooperation has continued to improve. China-Arab cultural and tourism cooperation has yielded fruitful results and holds enormous potential. Although the pandemic has put an end to people's overseas travel, the COVID-19 crisis has brought at least two major opportunities for the transformation, upgrading, and efficiency improvement of China-Arab economic and trade cooperation: firstly, it has opened up new avenues for cooperation between China and Arab countries in the digital economy; secondly, it has accelerated the improvement of the quality and efficiency of China-Arab economic and trade cooperation. The China-Arab Digital Economic and Trade Expo and the online tourism forum are new digital platforms for China-Arab economic and trade cooperation, enriching the forms of displaying cultural and tourism products and expanding their marketing channels. They will undoubtedly greatly promote the integrated development of online and offline channels and become a beneficial exploration for creating an upgraded version of China-Arab economic and trade cooperation. In his keynote speech, Dai Bin stated that thanks to political mutual trust, economic and trade exchanges, and people-to-people friendship, as well as the joint efforts of the foreign affairs, immigration, culture, and tourism departments, personnel exchanges between China and Arab countries are becoming increasingly frequent. Despite the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism economy, including outbound tourism, in the first half of this year, the pandemic will eventually pass. We should look forward with confidence, focusing on tourist satisfaction and leveraging digital development to make full preparations for post-pandemic market recovery and industry revitalization. China-Arab tourism cooperation needs to establish a safe, friendly, high-quality, and convenient tourism destination image; it needs to expand beyond high-level visits and officially organized cultural exchanges to conduct more tourism promotion and people-to-people exchanges; and it needs to strengthen digital development and the application of modern technology to enhance tourists' sense of gain and satisfaction. It is hoped that through this conference, especially the subsequent two roundtable discussions led by local tourism promotion agencies and entrepreneurs, as well as the specially organized "cloud exhibition," we can reach a consensus on new spaces and strategies for tourism exchange and cooperation. In the subsequent "Cloud Dialogue" session, Lei Haisu, Dean of the China Tourism Group Research Institute, Mohammed Saeed Al Marzouki, Acting CEO of "Embrace China," Chen Ping, Director of the Publicity and Promotion Department of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and Muna Al Falasi, Deputy Director General of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Authority, discussed tourism exchange and cooperation between China and the UAE, as well as the application and innovation of digital technology in the cultural tourism sector. During the discussion, Lei Haisu briefly introduced the development of the China Tourism Group, emphasizing its exchange and cooperation within the "Belt and Road" initiative. He suggested enhancing exchanges and cooperation among government tourism authorities, holding events such as the "China-UAE Year of Tourism" to promote bilateral tourism cooperation and drive sustained growth in mutual tourist visits; encouraging Chinese enterprises to cooperate with the UAE in tourism, targeting the mid-to-high-end market, and jointly creating differentiated and attractive tourism destination products; and focusing on promoting cooperation in tourism retail, travel services, and cruise industries to boost trade between China and the UAE. Mohammed Mazeqa pointed out that since its official launch on July 15, 2018, "Embrace China" has organized a series of cultural and tourism exchange activities between China and the UAE, which have been warmly welcomed by the UAE people. He added that they will continue to explore effective ways to promote Sino-UAE business cooperation. Chen Ping believes that tourism is a key focus for the Belt and Road Initiative, and establishing a joint promotion network for cultural and tourism cooperation among sister cities under the Belt and Road Initiative is a way to enhance mutual understanding and friendship among member cities and expand new forms of cooperation in cultural tourism. During the dialogue, Chen Ping extended an invitation to cities in various Arab countries, welcoming more cities to join the joint promotion network and support each other's tourism development. Muna Al-Farahi pointed out that Dubai, as a retail center, has made many efforts in promoting retail. The 2020 Dubai Tourism Calendar shows that there are different shopping and entertainment themed events almost every month throughout the year. Dubai will strive to better serve Chinese tourists in the future and welcomes their visits. In the subsequent parallel forum on digital technology innovation in the cultural tourism industry, the forum's moderator, Yang Jinsong, Director of the International Institute (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Institute) of the China Tourism Academy, interacted with Li Xinyu, Vice President of Trip.com Group; Chen Shunong, Deputy General Manager of the Government and Enterprise Customer Business Department of China Telecom; Zhuang Ying, Group Leader of the Data and Information Department/Big Data Management Group of the Palace Museum; Deng Hongfei, CEO of LETS (Hemer Technology); Zhang Jianglin, Chairman of Wonderful Travel Map; Luan Qing, Vice President of the Mobile Intelligence Business Unit of SenseTime; and Liu Tingting, Sales Director of North China, South China and International Channels of Mafengwo, conducting in-depth discussions on "Digital Transformation and Innovation in the Cultural Tourism Industry." Li Xinyu, Vice President of Trip.com Group, stated that as the only OTA in China with a global presence, Trip.com is promoting its experience and model of a "community of shared future for the tourism industry" globally. After the outbreak of the pandemic, Trip.com was among the first to launch "no-loss cancellation" policies, "worry-free travel" services, and "scenic spot anti-gathering service standards," promoting the high-quality recovery of the tourism industry. Ronald Drake, General Manager of Ain Dubai, vividly introduced the unique features of the Ain Dubai Ferris Wheel, distinguishing it from ordinary Ferris wheels, and pointed out the unique role of digital technology in enhancing the attraction's appeal. Chen Shunong, Deputy General Manager of China Telecom's Enterprise Customer Business Department, showcased the outstanding performance of new infrastructure in the fight against the pandemic, such as "5G + Cloud Supervision," "5G + Cloud Viewing," temperature screening, contactless services, and crowd monitoring. He also stated that China Telecom will further leverage its global network and technological advantages to improve the intelligent level of management and services in the cultural tourism sector. Zhuang Ying, Group Leader of the Information Department/Big Data Management Group of the Palace Museum, presented the Palace Museum's digital transformation and innovation, showcasing online resources such as the Digital Palace Museum, the Digital Cultural Relics Database, and "Cloud Tour of the Palace Museum." Deng Hongfei, CEO of LETS (Hemer Technology), started from the pain points of inbound tourism, introducing Hemer Technology's advantages in tourism products, tourism consulting, online booking and payment, and destination opinion leaders, and looking ahead to the prospects of inbound tourism from the perspective of business digital transformation and innovation. Zhang Jianglin, Chairman of Wonderful Travel Map, integrated and innovated location technology and map applications with the tourism industry, explaining the application scenarios and value of location and map technologies from four perspectives: service, management, operation, and big data. Luan Qing, Vice President of SenseTime's Mobile Intelligence Business Unit, showcased the application path of AR-enabled cultural tourism experiences, introducing various virtual reality technologies such as AR navigation, virtual reception, multi-person interaction, and stylization, and demonstrating the effects of AR technology implementation through case studies. Liu Tingting, Sales Director of Mafengwo's North China, South China, and International Channels, highlighted the "Polaris Data Tourism Butler" big data service solution, providing tourism industry clients with various big data services including data module services, expert services, data dashboards, and intelligent tourism solutions. The second parallel forum, moderated by Associate Professor Yang Liqiong from the International Institute (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Institute) of the China Tourism Academy, featured interaction with Professor Li Hao from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Sales Director Tan Xu of Emirates Airlines, President Shen Xiaoya (JACOPO SERTOLI) of Zheyi Holdings, Chairman Zhang Jingshi of Dahua Shenyou Light and Shadow Technology Co., Ltd., President Wang Jun of Weiguang Huitong Cultural Tourism Investment Group, General Manager Lu Mengxi of the Cultural Tourism Promotion and Exchange Cooperation Center of Meituan Dianping Group, and General Manager Zhang Jia of Qyer Shanghai Branch. The forum focused on the theme of "Sharing Typical Cases and Practical Experiences in the Cultural Tourism Industry," providing valuable insights for the digital transformation of the cultural tourism sector. Professor Li Hao from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism shared practical experience in "Traveling Yunnan with One Mobile Phone," analyzing its significant role in driving regional economic development, social development, industrial upgrading, and public emergency governance. Sales Director Tan Xu of Emirates Airlines showcased the high-quality services offered by Emirates Airlines and shared the "Witness of Love in Dubai" event case. Lu Mengxi, General Manager of the Cultural Tourism Promotion and Exchange Cooperation Center of Meituan Dianping Group, used application scenarios such as real-time data monitoring for resumption of work and production, urban cultural tourism brain/city name card, hotel management system (PMS), and cultural tourism integrated operation management platform as examples to demonstrate the broad prospects of technology empowering the cultural tourism industry. Shen Xiaoya (JACOPO SERTOLI), President of Zheyi Holdings, introduced the "Welcome China" project, which aims to ensure Chinese outbound tourists receive a better service experience, with a focus on the successful implementation of the "Welcome China" project in Abu Dhabi. Zhang Jingshi, Chairman of Dahua Shenyou Light and Shadow Technology Co., Ltd., outlined the development logic of cultural tourism nighttime tourism, integrating urban resources and local cultural characteristics into nighttime lighting projects to showcase the unique charm of the nighttime economy. Wang Jun, President of Weiguang Huitong Cultural Tourism Investment Group, used the Minnan Hometown Cultural Tourism Town project as a case study to illustrate the development path of cultural tourism towns, believing that excellent traditional Chinese culture is an important element in decoding China, and that cultural tourism towns and culture should mutually empower each other. Zhang Jia, General Manager of Qyer's Shanghai branch, shared Qyer's cooperation cases with Emirates Airlines and Dubai Tourism, and pointed out that high-net-worth travelers' travel preferences are characterized by quality, interest and personalization. During the pandemic, more than half of users preferred to research travel options in advance in preparation for their trips.

As a supporting activity of the forum, a digital exhibition of cultural and tourism products between China and the UAE was also held. The Chinese exhibitors mainly included the Shanghai Tourism Bureau, the Yunnan Tourism Department, the Gansu Tourism Department, the Palace Museum, China Travel Group, China Telecom, Ctrip, SenseTime, Travel Map, Maofenghuo, Jinrou, Meituan, LETS, Welcome China, Daohua Shenyou Light and Shadow Technology and Wei Guang Huibao Cultural Tourism Investment Group, etc. The UAE exhibitors mainly included Yacht Hotel, Emirates Palace Hotel (an eight-star hotel), Bulgari Hotel, Versace Hotel, Jumeirah Castle Hotel, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Accor Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Caesar Palace Blue Water Hotel, Ruff Hotel and Lapita Hotel. During the exhibition, visitors can participate online through the China-UAE Economic and Trade Digital Expo website http://cn-uae.ccpit-expo.com.