2025 Silk Road (Gansu) International Tourism Conference By Yaso Trip and Yaso Travel Union

Organized by the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (甘肃省文化和旅游厅), and hosted by Yaso Travel Union (亚索旅盟).

The 2025 Silk Road (Gansu) International Tourism Conference was successfully hosted by the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (甘肃省文化和旅游厅) and organized by Yaso Travel Union (亚索旅盟). Held from April 6 to 12, 2025, in Lanzhou (兰州), Zhangye (张掖), Jiayuguan (嘉峪关), and Dunhuang (敦煌), this conference aimed to boost Gansu’s tourism industry by enhancing inbound tourism and promoting the province’s rich cultural heritage along the historic Silk Road.

The event served as a strategic platform to explore ways to increase Gansu’s global tourism influence, with a focus on cooperation with international tourism markets. The conference provided a space for tourism professionals, including officials, travel agents, influencers, and media representatives, to discuss opportunities for product innovation, sustainable tourism development, and new marketing strategies.

Key highlights of the conference included keynote speeches by global tourism leaders, including Zhang Kexiong (张克雄) from China National Tourism Group (中国旅游集团), Virendra Jain from PhoCusWright Asia Pacific, and Qaiser Nawab (凯泽·纳瓦布), founder of the Belt and Road Initiative Sustainable Development (BRISD). The event also featured the release of the China Inbound Tourism Market Development Report by China Tourism Academy (中国旅游研究院), which highlighted the trends and strategies for boosting inbound tourism to China.

The conference’s various activities included a high-end dialogue session, product promotions, networking events, and a procurement fair, where travel agents from 23 countries were invited to explore opportunities for collaboration and business partnerships. Additionally, the event featured a series of cultural and tourism resource explorations in Gansu’s iconic cities such as Dunhuang (敦煌), Zhangye (张掖), and Jiayuguan (嘉峪关), where delegates experienced the rich cultural and natural beauty of the region.

This international tourism event has solidified Gansu’s position as a key cultural tourism hub on the Silk Road, fostering collaboration between China and the global tourism industry. With an emphasis on digital innovation and sustainable tourism, the conference paved the way for the continued growth of Gansu’s tourism sector in the international market.

Event Name and Theme

2025 Silk Road (Gansu) International Travel Trade Conference
Theme: Gansu: Silk Road’s Dreamland for Global Travelers (甘肃：丝绸之路上全球旅行者的梦想之地)

Event Dates and Locations

Date: April 6-12, 2025
Location: Lanzhou (兰州), Zhangye (张掖), Jiayuguan (嘉峪关), Dunhuang (敦煌)

Organizers

Host: Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (甘肃省文化和旅游厅)

Supporting Units: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Tourism Alliance (WTA), China Tourism Academy (CTA), World Tourism Economic Research Institute, China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), China Travel Service Association

Organizers: Yaso Travel Union (亚索旅盟), Beijing Weixi Think Tank Investment Consulting Co., Ltd. (北京维西智库投资顾问有限公司), Gansu Silk Road International Cultural Expo Co., Ltd. (甘肃丝绸之路国际文化博览会有限公司), Gansu Lanshen International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. (甘肃兰神国际旅行社有限公司)

Event Scale

Approximately 310 participants, including:

Global tourism organization officials and leaders (30 people)

Outbound travel agents from 23 countries, including Thailand (泰国), Singapore (新加坡), Malaysia (马来西亚), Indonesia (印度尼西亚), Japan (日本), South Korea (韩国), USA (美国), Canada (加拿大), Germany (德国), Netherlands (荷兰), Australia (澳大利亚), New Zealand (新西兰), Turkey (土耳其), France (法国), Vietnam (越南), Russia (俄罗斯), Laos (老挝), India (印度), and Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan (102 people)

Domestic inbound distributors (60 people)

Overseas social media influencers (15 people)

Key local travel agents (55 people)

Local media representatives (20 people)

Event staff (20 people)

Event Activities

Activity 1: Opening Ceremony of the 2025 Silk Road (Gansu) International Travel Trade Conference

Time: April 7, 2025, 09:00-09:30
Location: Crowne Plaza Lanzhou (兰州皇冠假日酒店) Conference Room
Participants: All conference delegates
Host: Zheng Wan (郑琬)
Program:

08:30-09:00: Guest check-in, VIP meeting

09:00-09:06: Opening artistic performance (Gansu Opera House – 甘肃省歌剧院)

09:06-09:10: Host’s opening speech and guest introductions

09:10-09:15: Speech by He Xiaozu (何效祖), Party Secretary and Director of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism

09:15-09:20: Speech by Xu Peng (许澎), Vice President of the World Tourism Alliance (世界旅游联盟)

09:20-09:25: Speech by Liu Weikang (刘伟康), President of the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Industry Association (马来西亚华人旅游业工会总会长) and Chairman of Xinyi Tourism Ltd. (马来西亚信益旅游有限公司)

09:25-09:30: Speech by Sun Guizhen (孙桂珍), Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Travel Service Association (中国旅行社协会)

Activity 2: Promotion of Gansu’s Cultural and Tourism Resources

Time: April 7, 2025, 09:30-09:50
Presenter: Gong Jiajia (龚佳佳), Vice Minister of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism

Activity 3: Promotion of Silk Road (Gansu) Tourism Products

Time: April 7, 2025, 09:50-10:30
Presenter:

Charter Tours – Great Wall International Travel Agency (长城国际旅行社), Hu Meiling (胡美玲)

Self-driving Tours – Gansu Public Aviation Travel Group (甘肃公航旅集团), Peng Yu (彭宇)

Hotel Tours – Gansu Cultural Tourism Hotel Group (甘肃文旅酒店集团), Zhang Yongxin (张永新)

Custom Tours – Lanshen International Travel Agency (兰神国际旅行社), Pei Jianhong (裴建宏)

Conference Tours – Dunhuang Cultural Tourism Group (敦煌文旅集团), Wang Lijun (王立军)

Educational Tours – Lanzhou New Oriental School (兰州新东方学校), Gao Xiang (高祥)

10:30-10:50: Coffee break and group photo with conference participants
Image: Gong Jiajia, Vice Minister of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, delivers her speech

Activity 4: Keynote Speeches

Time: April 7, 2025, 11:00-12:30
Location: Crowne Plaza Lanzhou (兰州皇冠假日酒店) Conference Room
Participants: All conference delegates
Speakers and Topics:

Zhang Kexiong (张克雄), Assistant General Manager of China National Tourism Group (中国旅游集团) and Executive Director of China International Travel Service (中国国际旅行社总社有限公司)

Virendra Jain, Senior Market Director of PhoCusWright Asia Pacific (PhoCusWright亚太区市场高级主管)

Sun Bowen (孙博文), General Manager of Ctrip Group (携程集团) Inbound Tourism Division

Li Yutong (李宇彤), Director of TikTok’s Tourism Solutions (TikTok出海业务旅游行业解决方案总监)

Qaiser Nawab (凯泽·纳瓦布), Founder and Chairman of the Belt and Road Initiative Sustainable Development (BRISD)

Zhou Xiaoguang (周晓光), Chairman of Guilin Tang Dynasty International Travel Agency (桂林唐朝国际旅行社)

Activity 5: Inbound Tourism Report Release

Time: April 7, 2025, 12:30-12:40
Location: Crowne Plaza Lanzhou (兰州皇冠假日酒店) Conference Room
Released by: China Tourism Academy (中国旅游研究院)
Content: Trends in China’s Inbound Tourism Market Development Report

Activity 6: High-end Dialogues

Time: April 7, 2025, 14:30-16:00
Location: Crowne Plaza Lanzhou (兰州皇冠假日酒店) Conference Room
Host: Liu Jun (刘君), Chairman of Zhencheng Travel (臻程旅行)

Activity 7: Travel Trade Procurement Fair

Time: April 7, 2025, 16:00-17:20
Location: Crowne Plaza Lanzhou (兰州皇冠假日酒店) Conference Room