The WTCF Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2026 opened in Beijing on June 2. The 2026 Global Smart Tourism Destination Competitiveness Report released at the summit shows that Beijing ranks first on the Global Top 10 Digital Tourism Leading Cities list.
Compiled by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) in conjunction with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the report conducted a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of key tourism cities worldwide from multiple dimensions including digital infrastructure layout, smart application implementation and data service construction. The report points out that Beijing leads globally in digitally empowering culture and tourism, smart governance, AI-driven visitor services and large-scale platform integration.
Themed “Smart Tourism Better Future”, the WTCF Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2026 held a series of activities including the General Assembly, Council Meeting and exhibitions. The summit attracted representatives from 56 countries and regions across the globe, who discussed the transformation trends and development strategies of the global cultural and tourism industry in the digital and smart era.
Currently, the integration of digital and smart technologies with the cultural and tourism industry is accelerating. The “Beijing’s Top 10 Technology Application Scenarios in the Culture and Tourism Sector” released at the opening ceremony deeply integrate cutting-edge digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. It covers diverse business forms including robotic smart services, AI residence butler, digital revitalization of cultural relics, XR immersive performances and AIGC-powered personalized content customization, stretching through the whole chain of cultural and tourism operations and fully demonstrating the achievements of Beijing’s digital cultural and tourism development.
The WTCF Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2026 was hosted by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the People’s Government of Haidian District, Beijing. Initiated and founded by Beijing, the WTCF is the world’s first international tourism organization with cities as its main members. It currently has 263 members covering 89 countries and regions worldwide.
