Guests attend the World Tourism Cities Federation Wellington Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2024 in Wellington, New Zealand, April 23, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Global tourism revenue is estimated to total 5.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024, marking an increase of 139.6 percent over the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to a report released by an international tourism summit held in Wellington.

The Report on World Tourism Economy Trends (2024) predicted that international tourist arrivals would amount to 13.579 billion in number this year, recovering to 103.9 percent of 2019.

At the same time, the report called for efforts by the global tourism industry to turn challenges from technology advancements and climate change into growth opportunities, proactively incorporating them into reshaping the industry.

The World Tourism Cities Federation Wellington Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2024, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, was jointly sponsored by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and the Wellington City Council. The WTCF, founded in 2012 on the initiative of Beijing, is the world's first international tourism organization focusing on cities.

This year's summit themed "Promoting Sustainable City Tourism: Innovation and Enhancement", featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, and tourism fairs, among others. Its discussions focused on an innovative development of global tourism industry in the new era.

Tourism has emerged as a pillar industry for global economic growth, Sima Hong, executive vice chair of the WTCF Council and deputy mayor of Beijing, told the opening ceremony.

She said that the global tourism industry is facing challenges concerning environmental protection, cultural heritage protection, and tourism safety as the industry rapidly expands.

Sima called for deepened international exchanges and partnerships in cultural and tourism industries, commitment to green development, and elevating the tourist experience through technology empowerment, to foster stability, resilience, and prosperity of the tourism sector.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau shared the New Zealand capital's experience in sustainable tourism practices, noting that sustainable tourism can help generate economic growth and create new and innovative job opportunities for the local community and economy.

By promoting responsible tourism practices, the local government can protect often fragile ecosystems, historic landmarks and indigenous cultures from the negative impacts of mass tourism, she added.

Yang Shuo, the WTCF secretary-general, said that the application of technological innovations in the tourism industry provides tourists with smart, personalized, and pleasant experiences. Smart tourism platforms built on big data and cloud computing enable real-time monitoring and management of tourist attractions, ensuring a safe environment for tourists. Leveraging online platforms to promote tourist destinations is becoming an important means to put tourism cities on the map, he said.

The two-day meeting attracted about 400 government officials, tourism organization representatives, tourism entrepreneurs and experts from 42 countries and regions.

The WTCF currently has 246 members, covering 86 countries and regions.