On December 9, the 2023 China-ASEAN Tourism Safety & Security Forum hosted by Huaqiao University (HQU) was held at Xiamen campus. More than 30 experts and scholars from 27 universities and institutions in countries including China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Laos, etc. conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges on the theme of “China-ASEAN Tourism Risk Management and Revitalization of Tourism Industry in the Post-epidemic Era”.

Wu Jianping, HQU President, Dai Bin, Dean of China Tourism Academy (CTA), Prof. Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin, President of Tourism Educators Association of Malaysia (TEAM), and Ning Zhizhong, Associate Editor-in-Chief (Executive) of Journal of Chinese Ecotourism attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

HQU President Wu Jianping extended his welcome to all the participants and briefly introduced HQU features. He pointed out that tourism serves as a bridge to promote cultural exchanges and mutual friendship, as well as a significant way to meet people’s needs for a better life and a powerful engine to advance economic and social development. HQU will further strengthen tourism safety research and tourism discipline development, facilitating the prosperity of tourism industry in China and ASEAN.

CTA Dean Dai Bin emphasized that suggestions and solutions offered by participants on hot and difficult issues such as outbound tourism safety and emergency response are essential as China’s tourism industry is fully recovering.

TEAM President Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin pointed out that Malaysia has implemented a 30-day visa-free policy for Chinese citizens since December 1, injecting new impetus to further enhance personnel exchanges between the two countries. He said he would closely monitor relevant statistics and actively improve relevant measures to facilitate the tourism development between the two countries.

Associate Editor Ning Zhizhong emphasized that tourism is not only conducive to cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties, but also can promote regional social and economic development. In the face of tourism safety issues, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation and to respond to challenges to get her to ensure the safety of every tourist.

Ten experts from home and abroad delivered keynote speeches at the Forum, including Prof. Shan Chunchang, Former Deputy Director of the State Administration of Work Safety and Counselor of the State Council, Prof. Tian Weimin, Director of the National Tourism Management Education Commission, Prof. Zou Tongqian, Vice President of the “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Prof. Zheng Xiangmin, Director of the Center for Tourism Safety & Security Research of Chinese Tourism Academy, Prof. Ian Phau, Curtin University of Australia, Prof. Xie Chaowu, Dean of HQU College of Tourism.

Blue Book of Tourism Safety / Annual Report on China’s Tourism Safety & Security Study (2023) was officially released at the Forum. The book focuses on China’s tourism safety, which has two main parts: the general report and thematic reports. The general report summarizes the overall situation of tourism safety throughout 2022 and the development trend in 2023. The thematic reports consist of four chapters, covering industrial safety, safety events, safety management and regional safety, and further analyze the situation, influencing factors and dynamics of various tourism industries, tourism safety events, and the supervision of tourism safety.

At the Forum

(Editor: Wei Linying)