Cultural Innovation Facilitates the Asian Tourism Promotion Plan - Director Dai Bin's Summary Speech at the "Seventh China-South Korea Tourism Cooperation Symposium"

Dear President Jin and Madam Guan of the Grand View Pavilion,

Dear colleagues, good afternoon!

According to the cooperation and exchange mechanism between the two chambers, the annual China-Korea tourism cooperation seminar was supposed to discuss the theme of high-quality development of the tourism industry in Beijing each year. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead shared online about the experiences of both countries in combating the pandemic in the tourism sector, as well as forward-looking viewpoints on international tourism cooperation. We are grateful to the professional and efficient operation of both teams, and to the authoritative data and insightful viewpoints from the academic and business communities, which have enabled us to see the confidence and energy behind the revitalization of the tourism industries in China and South Korea. Just like the sunflower that blooms in the warm summer and brilliant autumn after a long winter, the Asian tourism promotion plans involving China and South Korea will eventually usher in a future of shared prosperity.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, tourism exchanges have maintained a positive upward trend, benefiting from geographical proximity, cultural affinity, and political mutual trust. Since establishing diplomatic relations in August 1992, China and South Korea have continuously enhanced mutual trust and consensus, expanded cooperation areas, and deepened cooperation levels. Economically, the two countries are important trading partners, and exchanges and cooperation in culture, tourism, education, science and technology are increasingly active. As early as March 1994, the governments of China and South Korea signed the "Agreement on Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Korea." In 1998, South Korea signed the ADS agreement with China, becoming one of the first tourist destinations recognized by the Chinese government for Chinese tourists to visit in group tours. In 2015 and 2016, China and South Korea held mutual tourism years, using tourism as a link to promote lasting friendship between the two countries and deepen bilateral relations. Over the past decade, the scale of cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries has continued to expand. China and South Korea are each other's most important source markets and tourist destinations; for many years, South Korea has consistently maintained its position as China's largest overnight tourist market for foreigners. Except for a few years, Chinese tourism to South Korea has maintained double-digit growth, and since 2013, China has become South Korea's largest source market. In 2019, after a brief correction, the number of two-way tourist visits between the two countries exceeded 10 million again, effectively promoting economic and cultural exchanges. At the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations held on May 15, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech: "The most direct way to stimulate people's innovative and creative vitality is to go into different civilizations, discover the strengths of others, and inspire our own thinking. China is willing to work with all countries to implement the Asian Tourism Promotion Plan to contribute more to promoting Asian economic development and enhancing people's friendship." The proposal of the Asian Tourism Promotion Plan has received a positive response from the tourism industry and local governments of Asian countries, including China and South Korea. This strategic plan will further solidify the foundation for future cultural exchanges between China and South Korea and inject new vitality into bilateral tourism exchanges.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the tourism industry, placing immense pressure on the tourism sectors of both China and South Korea. Currently, the fight against the pandemic in tourism has achieved a phased victory, consumer confidence is recovering, and the momentum for industry revitalization is accumulating. The Spring Festival holiday is typically a golden window for international and domestic tourism, but the sudden outbreak disrupted the work rhythm of "prospering the market and ensuring supply." For the sake of people's lives and health, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China issued a notice on January 24, promptly shifting the focus to "closing scenic spots, suspending group tours, and fighting the epidemic." On March 12, based on the evolving situation, various regions gradually resumed intra-provincial tourism operations. Following the Qingming Festival and Labor Day holidays, significant progress has been made in the resumption of work and production in the tourism industry under the normalized pandemic prevention and control situation. During the five-day Labor Day holiday, China received 115 million domestic tourists, generating a total tourism revenue of 47.56 billion yuan, representing a recovery of 53.5% and 36.7% respectively compared to the Labor Day holiday in 2019 on a comparable basis. During the Labor Day holiday, the frozen domestic tourism market in South Korea began to revive, with 196,000 South Koreans traveling to Jeju Island. Accommodation bookings in resorts such as Gangneung and Sokcho reached 97%, and the load factor on major South Korean air routes reached 70%.

From the market perspective, the markets for nearby tours, rural tours, and urban leisure tours have basically recovered, while the self-driving tour market has reached an all-time high. People have begun to rediscover the beautiful scenery around them and deeply experience the daily美好生活. During the Labor Day holiday， the proportion of tourists participating in cultural leisure activities was as high as 87.9%. For example， the local culture-themed national trend night markets such as "Wanwu Laichao" in Suzhou and "Yu Ge Changwan" in Changshu attracted a lot of attention. During their trips， tourists' visits to cultural venues and experiences of cultural projects will undoubtedly have a profound impact on future tourism motivations， organizational methods， and product combinations. After this pandemic， the tourism industry is no longer likely to return to the traditional model of "visiting mountains， rivers， and scenic spots， planting seeds， taking photos， and shopping"， and a new era of a moderately prosperous tourism featuring tourists' deep cultural experiences and cultural innovation leading industrial development will be launched after the pandemic.

Cultural heritage preservation, revitalization, and innovation will inject new momentum into the Asian tourism promotion plan and are also the aim and direction of tourism exchange and cooperation between China and South Korea. Especially when tourism exchanges are difficult, it is all the more important to strengthen cultural exchanges between China and South Korea. We must showcase traditional culture that carries national memories, from the *Classic of Poetry* and the *Analects* to *Dream of the Red Chamber*, from *The Tale of Chunhyang* and *The Tale of Heungbu* to *The Tale of Shim Cheong*; we must also showcase modern culture that reflects contemporary happiness, from K-pop stars and dramas to variety shows, from Chinese Kung Fu and Hong Kong films to celebrities like Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo; and we must showcase future-oriented cultural innovation, from technologies like 5G, 4K, and IoT to creative platforms like Douyin, Bilibili, and e-sports. In an era of integrated development of culture and tourism, a continuous and vibrant cultural system is an inexhaustible source of tourism momentum. By making good use of modern technology to enhance the immersive experience of cultural exchanges, the Korean Cultural Center, the China Overseas Cultural Center, and tourism promotion agencies should join hands to bring a rich variety of cultural projects and artworks to cities, villages, and communities, blooming like hibiscus flowers all over the mountains and fields. Only when people can touch and feel them will they yearn for them.

Dear colleagues,

While emphasizing cultural value, we must also leverage the power of the market. Culture is not merely the self-appreciation of a small circle of cultural figures, but rather something that should be accessible and engaging for more locals, visitors, and foreigners alike. This requires harnessing the power of the market. Tourism is precisely such a vital force that can be utilized and leveraged. While valuing consumers, we must also value market players, investment, and operations. Mr. Chen Gang, founder of Mafengwo, one of China's most well-known travel social networking sites, aptly illustrated this point in his afternoon keynote speech. We hope that more cultural and tourism market players, such as Luo Baobei, CJ Entertainment, and FRIENDS—Chinese and Korean companies—will join this process, providing tourists with a warm and uplifting experience. The integrated development of culture and tourism requires technological support. Tourism exchange and cooperation between China and South Korea especially need to emphasize and cultivate digital culture and smart tourism. The widespread and in-depth application of digital technology in the cultural and tourism industries is subtly changing tourists' needs, behaviors, and experiences, deconstructing the boundaries of various tourism enterprises under the traditional supply chain, reshaping the new landscape of the cultural and tourism industry, and continuously triggering innovation and breakthroughs in international tourism content. The giant "fish tank" erected by D'strict on the rooftop of SM Town in Seoul has drawn comments from netizens asking, "Is it real water or a screen effect?" We see that, driven by entertainment trends and consumerism, these new business models that blend art and technology are having a revolutionary impact on the future tourism growth and consumption patterns of China and South Korea.

For the benefit of the people's tourism, China and South Korea should both show more goodwill towards each other. Mainstream media and online platforms can express friendly sentiments in languages that the other side can understand, which is crucial for the construction of the image of tourist destinations. There should be regular communication and interaction among diplomatic, immigration, public security, customs and border management agencies. They should work together in areas such as visa facilitation, friendly customs clearance, service quality and language environment, and make simultaneous improvements. We need to promote the interconnection of infrastructure such as aviation, airports, ports, railways, highways and telecommunications, and continuously improve public services and the business environment. We also need to further build a collaborative mechanism for tourism safety and emergency rescue systems, tourism information public platforms and governance of the tourism market order, to provide high-quality services and comprehensive safety guarantees for international tourists.

A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, and a good neighbor should keep in frequent contact. There is no force that can stop people's yearning for a better life, and no difficulty can cut off face-to-face communication among people. Whether it's natural factors like the novel coronavirus or other social factors, none can do so. A beautiful China with magnificent landscapes and rich culture welcomes the visit of the Korean people. Countless Chinese tourists, like me, are willing to go to Korea during the hibiscus flower season to listen to "Ali Lang", drink soju, taste fish cakes and kimchi soup, walk in Jeongdong at night, and of course, many will also bring back large bags of duty-free goods. For such a wonderful day, let's work together.