Dai Bin | Implementing the Global Civilization Initiative and Building a World Tourism Community

At the invitation of relevant organizations such as Jeju Special Province in South Korea, Zhengzhou International Tourism Mayors Forum, and Macau World Tourism Economic Forum, Dai Bin, President of China Tourism Research Institute, participated in relevant activities and delivered a keynote speech titled "Implementing the Global Civilization Initiative and Building a World Tourism Community". The full text is shared as follows:

Last September, during the most severe impact of the epidemic on the tourism industry, I proposed at a meeting in the Macau Special Administrative Region to 'prepare for the recovery of the outbound tourism market by the end of the year and the beginning of the year'. The reason why we always maintain optimistic expectations for the tourism industry is because "reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles" has always been a fine tradition of the Chinese nation, and traveling abroad is particularly desirable for the people. The national public health, foreign trade, and tourism industry policies are aimed at safeguarding the people's right to tourism. I hope more Chinese tourists will visit other countries and regions around the world. I also hope that Chinese tourists will not only experience scenery, food, and shopping, but also have more spiritual enjoyment and deeper cultural exchanges. I also hope that global operators will take advantage of the situation and build a world tourism community under the guidance of the Global Civilization Initiative.

1、 The time is ripe for the establishment of a world tourism community, and the conditions are already in place

Building a world tourism community is a necessity for the sustainable development of the global tourism industry. Tourism is an enduring way of life for humanity, ensuring the free movement of people from all countries and regions around the world. In the process of mutual interaction, each country and region can appreciate their own beauty and share the same beauty, which is a common responsibility of all countries and regions in the world. In recent years, the impact of climate and environmental change, public health events, wars and terrorist attacks, trade protectionism, and anti globalization on the tourism industry has been increasing. To address long-term challenges and promote post pandemic tourism recovery and economic growth, including the need for global tourism industry to unite and promote the formation of a new era of ideological consensus, policy synergy, and innovative driving forces between the public and private sectors for tourism development. Looking back at history, under the influence of cultural centrism, economic hegemony, and geopolitics, global tourism governance, policy coordination, and market synergy mechanisms have not yet fully achieved the expected results. For a long time, the excessive emphasis on the functions of the tourism industry, especially the economic growth of destinations, is facing ethical challenges such as environmental protection, cultural ecology, and excessive tourism. At this critical moment of tourism recovery and industrial revitalization, implementing the Global Civilization Initiative and building a world tourism community undoubtedly have significant practical significance for stabilizing consumption expectations, cultivating industrial innovation momentum, and reshaping the global tourism supply chain.

Building a world tourism community is a necessity for sustainable development of the world economy and society. We have seen the positive impact and promotion of the tourism industry on economic and social development and civilization evolution, as well as the negative issues that need to be addressed, such as tourism enclaves, excessive tourism, cultural conflicts, moral weakening, and environmental impact. From the perspective of economic impact, the impact of tourism on different countries and regions varies, and underdeveloped countries and regions have a relatively low share in the global tourism economy system. According to data from the World Bank, the main destinations visited by international tourists are still 80 high-income economies, while the proportion of international tourist arrivals from the other 130+low - and middle-income economies was only 27% in 1995. Although there has been a slight increase since then, it only reached 36.6% in 2019. Only by enabling countries and regions around the world to benefit from tourism development, such as economic growth, employment opportunities, poverty reduction, community revitalization, and protection of traditional and cultural heritage, can the world become a better place and the tourism industry continue to develop. With the awakening of people's awareness of tourism rights, especially the rise of emerging economies and developing countries in the world tourism development pattern, advocating for a world tourism community and jointly building a new global tourism pattern is now ripe and conditions are in place.

Figure 1 Proportion of inbound tourism reception from high-income and low - to middle-income economies (1995-2019) * Data source: World Bank database

Building a world tourism community contributes to the modernization of the global tourism governance system and governance capacity. The ideal goal and common value of global tourism governance is to promote cultural exchange beyond cultural barriers, cultural exchange beyond cultural conflicts, and cultural inclusiveness beyond cultural superiority. Following this ideology, government departments and public institutions in various countries and regions have the responsibility to guide tourists, practitioners, and community residents to view each other's differences correctly and handle them rationally. Tourism legislation, development planning, market supervision, and public safety institutions maximize the protection of everyone's tourism rights. Tourism investment, project construction, travel services, tourism accommodation, catering, shopping, and leisure entertainment enterprises provide safe, equal, efficient, and high-quality reception services to tourists. Global travelers not only appreciate the beauty of mountains and rivers, but also fully respect the economic and social development rights of the destination. This requires countries and regions to clarify their decision-making power for tourism development and market management within their sovereignty, while jointly discussing and building a global tourism development strategy for the future, seeking the greatest common divisor, and drawing the largest concentric circle. Whether it is cross-border delivery, natural person movement, or commercial existence, it is necessary to gather the maximum development consensus on the basis of extensive consultation, help countries and regions with different cultural backgrounds and development levels choose corresponding tourism development models, and safeguard the rights of destination people to reasonably express their development demands and share the fruits of tourism development.

2、 Under the Global Civilization Initiative, jointly build, co create and share a world tourism community

The guiding ideology for building a world tourism community is to promote cultural exchange and mutual learning, and to promote the prosperity of a world civilization garden. The travel that accompanies political, religious, diplomatic, educational, and trade activities has a long history. Local leisure and close range tourism activities such as hiking, climbing mountains, gathering, visiting friends, and official tours are also commonly recorded in literature, such as the cultural tours of Li Bai, Su Dongpo, and Xu Xiake. The Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, and expansion of trade propelled the marketization process of travel and tourism services. In 1841, Thomas Cook founded the first travel agency (Thomas Cook&Sons Ltd.), marking the beginning of modern tourism industry. Politicians, entrepreneurs, and experts from around the world have put forward a series of tourism economic ideas and policy proposals over the past two hundred years, focusing on why to develop tourism, for whom to develop tourism, what to rely on to develop tourism, and what kind of tourism to develop. They have built a conceptual consensus and value orientation for the world tourism community.

The Development and Evolution of World Tourism in Modern Times

Focus on Time Focus

Basic concepts and policy proposals

From the late 19th century to the 1930s

Number of tourists, duration of stay, and purchasing power.

Tourism activities are widely regarded as economically significant activities.

Developing tourism more for economic growth

1940s to 1950s

Not just the economy;

View tourism from a comprehensive perspective.

The essence of tourism phenomenon is a complex of numerous interacting elements and aspects, which is the product of the interaction between tourism activities and various elements and aspects of society such as national, health, economy, politics, society, culture, technology, etc. It requires interdisciplinary comprehensive research and multidimensional solutions.

In the 1960s

Mass tourism and tourism rights;

The economic, social, and environmental ecological impacts of tourism.

Tourism is about 'development'. Better leverage the 'multiplier effect', reduce 'leakage', and address issues such as price increases caused by a large influx of tourists into the reception area. Resolve the structural pressure brought about by tourism development in a comprehensive manner.

Tourism is both an economic tool and a political tool.

In the 1970s

Sustainable development of tourism industry.

Start advocating for sustainable tourism development. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has reached consensus on issues such as development strategy formulation, rational utilization of tourism resources, and maintaining ecological balance through the publication of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

In the 1980s

Treating tourism as a social complex that intersects and overlaps with various aspects of society;

Focus on common values.

Propose interdisciplinary research perspectives in disciplines.

The Manila World Tourism Declaration emphasizes that "tourism can be a key force for world peace and provide a moral and rational foundation for international understanding and interdependence. Pointing out that world peace and security create conditions for the development of the tourism industry, while world tourism contributes to world peace and the establishment of a new international economic order. The Manila World Tourism Declaration states that the basic principles for the development of the world tourism industry are fairness, sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual cooperation between countries. The ultimate goal of developing international tourism is to improve the living standards of all people, improve living conditions, and uphold human dignity.

In the 1990s

Globalization of tourism industry.

Strengthen international cooperation between governments and formulate common tourism policies. The World Tourism Organization has issued a series of initiatives, including the Responsible Tourism Initiative and the Global Tourism Initiative.

From the beginning of the 21st century to the present day

Informationization of tourism industry;

The development concept centered on the people;

Above the landscape lies life.

Fully utilize electronic technology, information technology, database technology, network technology, and modern communication media to deeply allocate, combine, process, disseminate, and sell tourism entity resources, tourism information resources, and tourism production factor resources.

Making the promotion of comprehensive human development and common prosperity at the spiritual level the development goals of the new era, emphasizing not only economic attributes but also cultural connotations; Not only does it have industrial functions, but it also has career goals; Not only do we need market supply, but we also need public services.

Build a modern tourism industry system that is oriented towards new demands, relies on new driving forces, deepens division of labor, and extends the chain.

Promote the deep integration of culture and tourism, and develop mass tourism, smart tourism, green tourism, and civilized tourism.

Ensuring tourism rights and promoting comprehensive human development are the development goals of the world tourism community. The value orientation and fundamental principle of contemporary tourism development is to allow people from different regions, skin colors, and civilizations to freely walk on this blue planet, read thousands of books easily, and travel thousands of miles without difficulty. Coexistence and coexistence require different tourism actors to recognize each other's unique existence, respect each other's wishes and rights, and be willing to engage in positive interactions on this basis. Tourists have the right to share world natural and cultural heritage, experience different cultures and beautiful lives, and destination residents also have the right to pursue economic and social development and modernization of living standards. All countries and regions have the right to choose their own tourism development path, formulate corresponding promotion policies and development plans, participate equally in international tourism affairs, and express independent opinions. The tourism development practices of all countries and regions are fully respected, and successful cases should be recognized and promoted. When trade disputes and disagreements, including geopolitical ones, arise, solutions should also be sought through bilateral dialogue and multilateral consultations, rather than resorting to technical barriers such as visas, immigration, and payments, and not threatening to withdraw or demand other countries to withdraw from international organizations and multilateral mechanisms.

Building a world tourism community requires consultation, joint construction and sharing, and each member must bear common but differentiated responsibilities. Co consultation and co construction mean the extensive participation of diverse forces from both the East and the West, capital and society, government and market, and the creation and shaping of a new global tourism governance system. All actors must respect the legitimate rights of other actors to jointly discuss and build, and respect the efforts of other actors to enhance their power in global tourism rule making, agenda setting, and international discourse. The improvement process of global tourism governance should fully consider the reasonable demands of all actors, and any arbitrary and monopolistic practices and intentions in international discourse are unacceptable. Adhere to the principle of "common but differentiated" in promoting the modernization of the global tourism governance system and governance capacity, and enhance the rights of emerging economies and developing countries in global tourism governance as much as possible, in order to increase the consensus of global tourism development ethics. All members must not only care about their own tourism development, but also care about the tourism development of other members. The achievements of world tourism development should benefit as much as possible the consumer entities, market entities, and community residents in all countries and regions, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups such as women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities in underdeveloped countries.

3、 China's policy proposal for building a world tourism community

Focus on the present and jointly build a new pattern of post epidemic tourism. After the epidemic, the recovery of high-quality tourism and moving forward together has become a broad consensus in the global tourism industry. However, the global issues faced by the tourism industry have not disappeared, and the challenge of reconstructing a future oriented supply chain and implementing a sustainable tourism development system based on joint construction and sharing has become even greater. People around the world hope that tourism can contribute to peace and development, promote fair and just tourism development, and establish a more inclusive and resilient global tourism governance mechanism. China is accelerating its return to the world tourism system and should steadily open up its inbound and outbound tourism markets, implementing more convenient and efficient visa, immigration, port, border inspection, and financial payment policies. While implementing a more vigorous inbound tourism revitalization strategy, we should accelerate the promotion of the Asian Tourism Promotion Plan and the "the Belt and Road" tourism cooperation plan, accelerate the process of tourism cooperation with ASEAN, Latin America, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and South Pacific island countries, and no longer seek any trade surplus in tourism and travel services to any country or region at any time. Make good use of traditional international tourism organizations such as the World Tourism Organization, the World Tourism and Travel Council, the Asia Pacific Tourism Association, and the European Tourism Commission, as well as international tourism organizations developed by China such as the World Tourism Alliance, the World Tourism Cities Federation, and the International Mountain Tourism Alliance. Innovate bilateral, multilateral, regional, and global tourism cooperation mechanisms, prosper the market, expand investment, and reconstruct a new pattern of the world tourism economy.

Looking towards the future, we will jointly discuss new consensus on civilized tourism. For a long time, our understanding of the tourism industry has been that it is a modern service industry with strong economic attributes and a high degree of marketization. Today, it is time to value the social attributes of tourism and highlight its role in cultural construction and civilization evolution. Adhere to shaping tourism through culture and highlighting culture through tourism, promote the deep integration of culture and tourism, and promote the healthy, orderly, and high-quality development of the tourism industry. Adhere to the people-oriented nature of mass tourism, the modernization of smart tourism, the futuristic sense of green tourism, and the worldview of civilized tourism. Maintain reasonable growth in quantity and effective improvement in quality, so that the general public can have access to tourism, afford it, enjoy it comfortably, and have peace of mind. Take "high tourist satisfaction", "strong market competitiveness", and "new development momentum" as measurement indicators for the high-quality development of the tourism industry in the new era. China's contribution to the world tourism industry is not only the continuous growth of outbound tourism and consumption, but also the ideas, wisdom, and strength of tourism development in the new era. Guide tourists to coexist harmoniously with nature, help each other with cultural heritage, communicate equally with local residents, and strive to build a new level of civilized tourism with an open and shared main theme.

Make good use of the platform and create a new mechanism for tourism cooperation. After more than 40 years of development, China no longer seeks to maintain a trade surplus in tourism and travel services with any country at any time, but emphasizes focusing on the domestic tourism market, coordinating the dual circulation of inbound and outbound tourism, better meeting people's needs for a better tourism life, and making greater contributions to the prosperity of world tourism and economic growth. Let the world share China's opportunities through multilateral mechanisms such as the "Asian Tourism Promotion Plan", the "the Belt and Road" initiative, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, APEC, as well as bilateral activities such as mutual tourism year, China CEEC Expo, etc. Coordinate and coordinate departments such as diplomacy, immigration, customs, ports, industry and information technology, finance, culture, and tourism, implement more convenient visa, border inspection, payment, and logistics policies, and meet the accommodation needs of overseas tourists with higher quality domestic resource development, product innovation, and public services. We will focus on promoting tourism cooperation with the European Union, ASEAN, East Asia, Northeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Middle Eastern countries, incorporating tourist satisfaction and tourism rights into development issues, and steadily achieving the early admission list of the World Tourism Community.

Author | Edited by Dai Bin | Reviewed by Xue Shiyi | Source by Yang Liqiong | Reproduction by China Tourism Research Institute (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) Please indicate the author and source