Breaking Boundaries with Innovation, Igniting the Future of Cultural Tourism The 32nd Guangzhou International Travel Fair Concluded Successfully!

2024-06-07

On May 18, coinciding with International Museum Day, the three-day 32nd Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) came to a successful conclusion. On May 16-18, GITF set off a global tourism whirlwind in Guangzhou. In the three-day fair, the world's top tourism exhibitors gathered together with a vision and a bright outlook on the development of global tourism to continue to build a high-quality platform for international tourism exhibitions in Guangzhou, to solidify the foundation for Guangzhou to build a world-class tourism destination, and to continue to expand the influence of Guangzhou as a popular tourist destination.

During the fair on May 17, the National Tourism Development Conference was held in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping’s important directives and key discussions on tourism development were conveyed. Since the reform and opening-up, especially since the 18th CPC National Congress,  China's tourism development has stepped into the fast lane, formed the world's largest domestic tourism market, and become the largest source country and main destination for international tourism. The tourism industry has grown from a minor industry to an emerging strategic pillar industry and an industry of people's livelihood and happiness with significant characteristics of the times, and has successfully walked out of a unique road of China's tourism development. Amidst new opportunities and challenges, industry professionals need to leverage international platforms for broad cooperation and mutual benefit, embracing a promising future for the tourism industry.

Breaking Boundaries with Innovation, Igniting the Future of Cultural Tourism, Embracing Hope to Forge a New Era in Global Travel

Let's say goodbye to GITF2024 and meet again at GITF2025 on May 15-17, 2025!

The warmth of the palm

Hand in hand to create another success in the tourism industry

The heartfelt interactions at GITF2024—handshakes, hugs, greetings, and farewells—highlighted the event’s role as a cherished gathering place for the tourism industry, fostering visions of a bright future for tourism.

The temperature of the palm conveyed the sincerity and friendship from all over the world. With favorable visa policies and improved transportation measures, GITF2024’s international circle of friends expanded significantly, featuring exhibitors from 55 countries and regions, including Azerbaijan, Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain, the United States, Poland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cuba, South Korea, Philippines, Kenya, Peru, Nepal, Chile, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Ecuador, Ireland, Hong Kong, Macau and so on. On the site, exhibitors communicated face-to-face, and every handshake held unlimited opportunities for new development.

During the fair, the annual GITF Feast, Buyer Night was held in grand style. This star-studded evening brought industry professionals together along the Pearl River, allowing them to experience the enchanting nightscape of Guangzhou and deepen their exchanges. This year, during the Buyer Night, the "CTW Chinese Tourists Welcome Award" was presented by the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI). Since its inception in 2004, this award has been held annually. COTRI’s CEO, Wolfgang Georg Arlt, honored the winners in five categories: Innovation, Marketing, Media/Internet, Service Quality, and Overall Performance, awarding Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

As always, industry professionals at GITF achieved initial cooperation agreements, creating new opportunities and perhaps planting the seeds for future tourism trends.

The Joy of Harvesting

Sowing Seeds of Happiness Together

Enthusiastic dances, resonant songs, and carefully prepared gifts……At the fair, each booth was a world of its own, captivating visitors and transporting them instantly to different locales, allowing them to experience global tourism firsthand. This gathering of top global tourism exhibitors not only provided abundant opportunities for the participants but also brought happiness and joy to the attendees. Since last year, there has been a surge in the cultural and tourism craze within China, with numerous destinations becoming internet sensations and showcasing a booming tourism landscape. Provinces and cities like Sichuan, Hubei, Hainan, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guiyang, Anshun, Qiannan, Bijie, Chengdu, Qiqihar, Ningbo, Chenzhou, Nyingchi, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Meizhou, Zhanjiang, Qingyuan, and Guangzhou all presented their unique attractions. As people wandered from one booth to another, they experienced the diverse and exciting offerings from each region, planting seeds in their minds for their next travel destination.

Tourism is an industry of livelihood and happiness and has become an essential part of daily life. With the seeds of wanderlust already sown, visitors at the exhibition could fulfill their travel desires by booking trips on the spot. Through the "Travel Expo Month" promotions, visitors arranged future journeys filled with happiness. Numerous booths of travel agencies were bustling with visitors. Exhibitors enjoyed a surge in sales during the "Travel Expo Month," offering a wide range of tourism products and substantial discounts. Generous travel subsidies, amounting to thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan, provided real benefits for visitors, enhancing their joy of harvest.

GITF2024 featured multiple specialized zones that drew significant attention, offering visitors a series of delightful experiences. The Vanlife Zone showcased the joys of travel on wheels, aligning perfectly with the rising trend of self-drive tours. The Study Tour Zone, a new addition to this year's fair, attracted educational bases and institutions from Guangdong, Hubei, Hainan, Hong Kong, and Luoyang, highlighting valuable educational tourism resources and representing the latest trends in this sector. In the Greater Bay Area Cultural and Creative IP Pavilion, over 1，000 square meters of space were dedicated to an array of creative products, enticing visitors to stop and shop. These unique cultural IP products were like stars in the spotlight, captivating the audience. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Zone brought traditional crafts to life with live demonstrations from representative inheritors. The 11 Guangzhou Cotton Tree Star homestays in the B&B zone each displayed their own characteristics, creating a piece of poetic world. The TECT Zone was bustling with activity, featuring real-life cases of high-tech applications in tourism. These exhibits showcased how technology was empowering the cultural and tourism sectors, allowing visitors to reflect on the past while dreaming about the future. The Greater Bay Area Creative Cultural and Sports Tourism Zone presented the "Bay Area Amazing Plan," attracting numerous visitors. It was a place where intriguing minds met, sparking countless creative ideas and collaborations.

Minds in Motion

Collaborating for a Beautiful Future

Engaging speeches, study cases, and thought-provoking roundtable discussions...... GITF2024 served as a platform for a series of prominent forums that drew significant attention at the international tourism forum. Compared to previous years, this year's forums focused more intensively on a variety of hot topics, bringing together industry leaders to brainstorm future tourism trends.

On the opening day, the "TECT Tech Enabling Culture and Tourism Forum" and the "2024 World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) International Communication Forum" excited participants right from the start. At the TECT Forum, speakers presented cultural tourism applications led by science and technology and driven by innovation, focusing on “Artificial Intelligence + Cultural Tourism”from the perspective of science and technology across the border, which opened up a brand-new space of imagination for the application of high-tech technology in the cultural tourism industry in the future. With the advent of the "all-media" era, how to spread the voice of tourism has also become an important topic at the WTCF Forum. The guests started a round-table discussion on how international communication could help high-quality development, from which it could be seen that with the help of a variety of communication tools, expanding the sound volume of tourism had become a consensus. It is gratifying to see that the industry has already paid attention to the potential of playlet, and how to innovate playlet to realize high-quality development under the new situation of international communication has also become a practical exploration for future development.

Outbound tourism was another hot topic at the forums. As the largest source of international tourists, China is witnessing a new wave of opportunities in outbound tourism thanks to favorable visa policies and flight availability. At the "China Outbound Tourism Conference," the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI) invited industry guests from all over the world to discuss how to take advantage of various favorable measures to promote the further development of China's outbound tourism from the perspectives of the current situation, characteristics, and future of the development of China's outbound tourism.

With the rise of study tour, the "Exploring New Paths for Destination Tourism and Educational Travel" Forum provided a new platform for destinations focusing on this theme. At the forum, guests discussed how to cater to the new demand for innovative development of destination tourism after entering the era of diversification and personalization, while study tourism, as a “dark horse” in the tourism circle, has a brand-new development space.

The event's final forum, "Bringing Cultural Relics to Life Live," took place on International Museum Day, May 18, at the Guangzhou Art Museum. This sharing session brought together museum directors and cultural heritage protection experts to discuss the theme "Rebirth of Cultural Relics: Innovations in Museum Education and Research." Their insightful discussions on cultural heritage preservation and sustainable museum development became a highlight of the International Museum Day.

Looking Ahead

Setting Sail Towards New Horizons

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The 32nd Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF), concluding just before China Tourism Day on May 19, embarked on a new journey under the mission of "promoting high-quality development in the tourism industry," adding to the expectations of the exhibition for the coming year.

Innovation is the core of tourism development, and integration is its driving force. This year, GITF introduced the inaugural GITF Live Streaming Festival, which garnered nearly a million views on its first day and achieved a GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) of 1.5 million RMB in three hours, ranking first nationwide for group-buying and sales. Online and offline integration and innovative cultural and tourism communication methods expanded the reach of the fair. In the afternoon of the opening day, the official Douyin account of Guangzhou Cultural Tourism hosted a special live streaming, featuring traditional Chinese culture influencers interacting with exhibitors. Various cultural and tourism exhibitors showcased their beautiful destinations to the world through the live streaming, while intangible cultural heritage artisans demonstrated their exquisite skills, providing an enchanting cultural feast for the audience. The discounts offered during the live streaming were as attractive as those at the fair. Multiple products frequently updated with significant discounts, drawing significant online attention for GITF.

Standing at a new starting point, as one of the oldest international travel fairs in China, GITF shoulders its mission without pause. With a new beginning and a new journey ahead, GITF will continue to provide a platform for deepening international tourism exchange and cooperation, helping to create new opportunities for tourism development.

Embracing new hopes and dreams, we look forward to seeing you next year!