China News Service, Macau, October 16th. The "12th World Tourism Economic Forum Macau 2026" was held in Macau on the 16th. With the theme of "Crisis, Resilience, and Leap—Tourism Economy Reshaping a Global Sustainable Future", this forum gathered representatives from the tourism and related industries at home and abroad to discuss the reconstruction of resilience and sustainable development of the tourism industry.
Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the World Tourism Economy Forum General Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of the Macau SAR Sam Ho Fai, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macau SAR Zheng Xincong, Acting Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macau SAR Cheng Lei, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial Committee and Executive Vice Governor Battelle, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization Sheikha Al Nowais and other guests attended the opening ceremony.
In his speech, Ho Hau Wah said that tourism is not only an engine for economic growth, but also a key carrier for implementing sustainable development goals, building global consensus, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. Standing at a new historical starting point, the forum will definitely live up to the country's trust, use Macao as a hub to gather the strength of cultural and tourism industries from all over the world, and make new and greater contributions to promoting the sustainable development of the global tourism economy.
Shum Ho-fai said in his speech that Macao will further actively leverage its unique advantages of "backing on the motherland and connecting the world" and make every effort to build a world tourism and leisure center and an exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as the mainstream and multi-cultural coexistence. It is hoped that the forum will bring together global wisdom and seek cooperation, which will not only provide assistance to Macao's own development, but also inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the global tourism economy, and jointly move towards a more resilient and sustainable future.
Sheikha Al Nowais said that China is a superpower in global tourism, and the leadership shown by China also helps shape the global agenda. The United Nations General Assembly has designated 2027 as the "International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism", in which China can play a key role.
Lu Yongzheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Propaganda Department of the Provincial Committee, said that after years of hard work, Guizhou's mountain tourism has become more abundant, the market space has continued to expand, service quality has steadily improved, and the brand influence has continued to expand. Traveling to Guizhou and investing in Guizhou tourism are becoming the first choice of more and more knowledgeable people. This forum advocates resilience building and interconnection. Guizhou is willing to join hands with colleagues in the tourism industry to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results in brand co-building and investment cooperation.
The forum is hosted by the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government, with the United Nations World Tourism Organization as a partner and organized by the World Tourism Economy Research Center. (over)
