Tourexpi
The 19th UN Tourism/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and
Outlook brought together over 230 participants from 30 countries to discuss how
research, data, and innovative policies can foster a smarter, more sustainable
tourism ecosystem. Organized by UN Tourism and the Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA), in collaboration with the Guilin Municipal People’s
Government and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the event reinforced its role
as a leading regional platform for global insights.
Strong recovery in Asia-Pacific
UN Tourism data show that international arrivals in
Asia-Pacific grew 11% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, outpacing the
world average, though still 8% below 2019 levels. North-East Asia led with 20%
growth, reflecting the renewed influence of China as the world’s largest
outbound market.
Data at the core of smart tourism
Sessions explored governance and policies backed by
innovative intelligence systems, with contributions from Australia, India,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Republic of Korea
and Vietnam. Key topics included:
·
Smart destinations: Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, and Spain shared
case studies on digitalization, collaboration, and community well-being.
·
MICE opportunities: Experts from China, Greece, and Korea underlined the
role of data in identifying new market partnerships.
·
Young talent and research: Chinese academia stressed the importance of
training future leaders in data-driven tourism.
Industry perspectives
Keynotes from Fliggy and TUI provided insights on
European travel to Asia-Pacific and the digital transformation of the Chinese
market.
Looking ahead
The 20th edition of the UN Tourism/PATA Forum will
again be organized by UN Tourism, PATA, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
and the Guilin Municipal People’s Government in 2026.
Image
Credit: © UN Tourism
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