Xu Jing, vice-chairman of the Global Tourism Economy Research Center (GTERC) and former director of the Asia-Pacific Department of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), visited Beijing International Studies University (BISU) on June 3.

During the visit, Zheng Chengjun, BISU's vice-president, met with Xu and they held in-depth discussions on  potential cooperation in tourism economics research and international academic exchange.

Zheng Chengjun (right) and Xu Jing have discussions.

Zheng introduced the founding purpose, development history, and academic construction of the BISU.

He highlighted the university's strengths in foreign languages and tourism, and its pragmatic and partnerships with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the UNWTO, and various global and regional tourism organizations. He emphasized that these collaborations provide intellectual support for the international promotion of Chinese culture and the development of inbound tourism in Beijing.

Xu introduced the GTERC and the UNWTO, acknowledging the university's achievements in cultivating internationally-oriented tourism professionals and promoting educational and research cooperation both domestically and internationally.

He also invited the university's faculty and students to engage in practical exchanges in Macao, Spain, and other locations, contributing the university's insights to the global cultural and tourism industry.

Xu Jing delivers a lecture to the faculty and students at BISU.

During his visit, Xu delivered a lecture titled "From Beijing to Madrid: My 27 Years at the UNWTO" to the faculty and students at BISU.

He shared his experiences and observations from his career, discussing the operations of international organizations, the changing international status of Chinese tourism, the development landscape of Asian tourism, and the growth of young professionals.

He encouraged BISU students to take the crucial role of tourism in international exchange, cultural interaction, and sustainable development from a global perspective.

The GTERC was established in October 2011, headquartered in Macao Special Administrative Region, China. Since 2012, the center has organized its flagship event, the Global Tourism Economy Forum, focusing on the development trends of the Asian tourism industry and supporting the high-quality development of the global cultural and tourism sector.