China Tourism Forum has been held by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University since 2004, which aims at promoting the tourism industrial development of China. This regular forum used to be held in China, it is the first time for it to be held in the USA.
In 22th of July, under the cooperation of Temple University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2019 China Tourism Forum was officially held in Philadelphia. Consul General of the PRC Huang Ping delivered a speech with congratulation. He showed his gratitude towards those who constantly support the tourism industry between China and America. He speculated that the connection between the US and China will be inseparable for the steady growth of the economy in China. According to statistics, there were approximately 150 million Chinese outbound tourists in 2018, which contributed to the global economy.
Huang Ping believed that only cooperation between the US and China can boost the tourism industry, which highly depends on mutual understanding and trust. Even though the relationship between these two countries encounters challenges and difficulties, Huang Ping was still optimistic toward the prospect since both countries consist of tremendous tourist resources.
Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia acknowledged that the tourism industry between both countries is significant, which enhance the mutual understanding of citizens, lay a foundation for the economic development of both sides. He also pointed out that this year is the 40th anniversary of US-China diplomatic relationship, while Tianjin and Philadelphia became sister cities officially in 1979. He hoped that the bilateral relationship can be further by constant communication and cooperation. The principal of Temple University promised to further investigate the tourism development of both countries to foster the connection between citizens from the US and China.