Zoritsa Urosevic, executive director of the UNWTO, delivers a video message during the forum. [Photo provided to en.gxzf.gov.cn]

The 16th UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook, undertaken by Guilin municipal people's government and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, took place online on Dec 6.

It invited representatives of tourism departments, industry figures, research institutes and universities in the Asian-Pacific region and has attracted more than 5,000 viewers. 

Zoritsa Urosevic, executive director of the UNWTO, noted in a video message that the COVID-19 pandemic is currently the biggest challenge facing the world, however the tourism industry has already started to recover. She also expressed her gratitude to Guilin, the permanent host of the forum, for its support. 

Liz Ortiguera, the CEO of PATA, said this edition of the forum would continue to serve as a major knowledge sharing and exchange platform, where people can swap ideas about the challenges and opportunities facing the tourism industry and gear up for the revival and transformation of this crucial sector. 

Jiang Chunhua, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guilin Municipal Congress and executive vice mayor of Guilin, said that Asian-Pacific countries should play an active role in grasping new opportunities in tourism industrial development brought by digitalization, and use the digital economy to increase the competitiveness of the tourism industry. 

Jiang added that Guilin will make every effort to transform itself into a world-class tourism city.