The "World Tourism Alliance • Xianghu Dialogue 2023" event took place in Hangzhou from Nov 14 to 17.

Titled "The Power of Travel and Tourism – Towards a Better Future", the dialogue invited guests from domestic and international tourism authorities, international organizations, tourism cities, and key tourism enterprises to share insights into promoting sustainable development in the tourism industry.

Hangzhou Mayor Yao Gaoyuan extended a warm welcome to all the guests. He highlighted Hangzhou's reputation as a renowned scenic and tourist city, known globally for its breathtaking natural beauty, rich cultural life, and UNESCO World Heritage sites of West Lake, the Grand Canal, and the Archaeological Ruins City of Liangzhu.

Yao emphasized Hangzhou's commitment to leveraging the effects of the Asian Games, accelerating its transformation into an international hub for sports and events, and deepening collaboration with the World Tourism Alliance. The city aims to attract more international flights, conferences, sports events, and organizations, fast-tracking its journey to become a world-class tourist destination.

Hangzhou is also advancing the in-depth integration of culture and tourism and expediting the development of a world cultural heritage community. The city is also implementing the "Inheritance of Song Dynasty (960-1279) Culture" project and promoting synergy between tourism and cultural creativity, e-commerce, health and wellness, and educational tourism.

The city plans to strengthen its role as a tourism trendsetter, utilizing digital technology to create new tourism experiences. Hangzhou aims to cultivate the best-possible "Hangzhou Experience", aligning with the city's slogan "The Trend is in Hangzhou".