The UNWTO Silk Road Programme and its participating Member States were strongly represented at the International Mayors’ Forum on Tourism in Zhengzhou, China. Held from 27 to 30 May 2018, the forum attracted mayors from 95 cities across 28 countries, plus numerous official representatives from China.

On the first day during the launch of the Belt and Road Tourist City Mayors’ Summit, a part of the overall forum, Mr. Zhu Shanzhong, Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), gave an opening speech focused on the need to create new and unified tourism products capable of transcending individual destinations. In this sense, the Maritime Silk Road, a key transnational initiative currently being developed by the Silk Road Programme, was presented as a best-practice example.

The findings of the preliminary research on “Tourism on the 21st century Maritime Silk Road: impacts and opportunities” were outlined to delegates by Mr. Robert Travers, UNWTO’s lead research expert.

More information can be found here.