The 2026 WTCF Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit will be held in Beijing from June 1 to 4. Themed “Smart Tourism Better Future”, this summit puts forward the concept of “Future Tourism” for the first time in the global tourism industry. The summit will release a series of outcomes including the “2026 Global Smart Tourism Destination Competitiveness Report”, the “Beijing Initiative” and the “Beijing’s top 10 technology application scenarios in the culture and tourism sector”, providing references for the digital and smart transformation of tourist cities worldwide.
The summit has attracted representatives from 58 countries and 73 cities across the globe, with distinguished foreign guests including 2 Deputy Ministers of Tourism of foreign countries, 6 heads of international organizations and 24 mayor-level guests from overseas cities. The summit will feature more than 20 key activities, such as the General Assembly, Council Meeting, Opening Ceremony, 2026 World Mayors Dialogue•Beijing, four themed sub-forums, exhibitions, as well as the WTCF Member Promotion & Exchange Forum and Civil Aviation, Culture and Tourism Integration Development Forum.
In terms of cooperation signing, during the summit, the Federation will organize its corporate members in the tourism industry to sign the “Letter of Intent on Mutual Exchange of Inbound Tourists” with overseas travel agencies. Meanwhile, Capital Airports Holdings Co., Ltd., Beijing Daxing International Airport and Vietnam Airports Corporation will sign the “Memorandum of Friendly Partnership”. All parties will deepen cooperation in route development, operation management and talent exchange, to further facilitate cultural and tourism exchanges between Beijing, Vietnam and the wider Southeast Asian region.
The summit also features a supporting exhibition themed Beijing Cultural and Tourism Technology Application. More than 50 Beijing-based tech enterprises gather in the exhibition area, showcasing innovative achievements and real-world application cases of technology empowering the integration of culture and tourism in Beijing to overseas guests.
In addition, the World Tourism Cities Federation “Member Home” will be officially unveiled during the summit. As a physical service platform tailor-made for the Federation’s 263 members, this “ever-open international lounge” extends exchanges from the summit into daily connections. It enables regular display of cultural and tourism resources of member organizations and sustained matching for cooperation demands.
In terms of high-level dialogues, the summit offers a platform for equal exchanges among cities with diverse civilizations and institutional systems. Every year, mayors, tourism officials and industry leaders from dozens of countries gather here to engage in candid discussions. Such face-to-face communication helps all parties deepen mutual understanding and build trust.
Since its inaugural session in 2012, the Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit has spanned more than ten years. As a flagship event of the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), the summit not only fully presents the Federation's concepts, resources and member network, but also serves as an epitome of Beijing's participation in global tourism governance and efforts to build an international exchange center.
Beijing has achieved historic results in inbound tourism in 2025: the city received 5.48 million inbound tourists, representing a year-on-year increase of 39.0%; tourism revenue reached 50.56 billion yuan, rising by 44.7%. Both figures hit record highs. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of inbound tourists maintained a strong growth momentum, with the year-on-year growth rate staying at a high level of 39%.
