Chongqing — The 2025 Chongqing International Travel Agent Conference is scheduled to launch on November 5 in Southwest China's Chongqing, marking another major milestone in the city's opening to global inbound tourism.
The 2025 Chongqing International Travel Agents Conference is scheduled to launch on November 5 in Southwest China's Chongqing. (Photo/The event organizer)
"Last year's cooperation agreements have taken root, and this year we will bring more global partners to unlock new ways to experience Chongqing," according to the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development.
Compared to previous editions, this year's event showcases not only a solid one-year answer sheet of Chongqing's inbound cultural-tourism push, but also unveils five major innovation highlights designed to accelerate the city's construction as a world-renowned cultural-tourism destination.
European and American tourists enjoy a traditional Sichuan Opera performance at Ciqikou Ancient Town in Shapingba District. (Photo/The event organizer)
Leading growth, cooperation takes root
Since the last conference in 2024, Chongqing's inbound tourism has delivered an impressive performance.
According to Trip.com Group data, visitor arrivals in the first three quarters rose by 81.3 % year-on-year, with tourism consumption up by 90.2 %.
Growth outside the Southeast Asian market has been especially noteworthy: arrivals from Europe, the Middle East and other markets have surged, with tourist numbers from France, Italy, and Spain nearly doubling.
A Spanish travel agent representative remarked, "Chongqing's layered mountainous waters and cultural depth are highly distinctive. Next year, besides further rolling out Yangtze & Three-Gorges cruises, we plan to include Wulong Karst and the Dazu Rock Carvings in high-end routes for the European and American markets — we expect next year's outbound volume to double."
Foreign visitors sample the local specialty "Wushan Steamed Buns". (Photo/The event organizer)
Over the past year, the inbound tourism product system in Chongqing has become more refined. Beyond the "8D magical metropolis" check-in experience, visitors are now enjoying cruises on the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers through the Three Gorges, skiing and hot-spring soaking on Jinfo Mountain, hot-pot dining in old towns such as Pianyan Ancient Town, water-mahjong in rustic village water-towns, stays in UN-recognised "Best Tourism Villages" such as Jingzhu Village, exploration of the mysterious Puhua River, high-mountain autumn-leaf treks in the Three Gorges, drone shows aboard Two Rivers cruises, and immersive stage-drama experiences of "Chongqing 1949".
To further enrich cultural product supply, this year's conference has, for the first time, been upgraded into an autumn-winter season series of activities. During the concurrent 14th China Art Festival, a number of travel agents and KOL inspection trips will be organised so participants can more intuitively experience the unique charm of Bashu culture and vivid cultural-tourism integration.
Brand upgrade
Unlike previous editions, where many overseas guests were invited through China's tourism offices and cultural centers abroad, this year's conference sees most international participants invited directly by Chongqing's local travel agencies. These agencies also provide full, customized matchmaking services throughout the event.
This shift reflects the success of the city's Inbound Tourism Enterprise Empowerment Initiative, led by the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development. Through policy support, platform building, and targeted promotion, Chongqing's travel agencies have evolved from relying on external networks to proactively seeking and signing global partners. The stability and diversity of their international cooperation channels continue to grow.
Integrated experiences
This year's conference venue, a hot-spring resort, symbolizes a broader approach to showcasing Chongqing's full-domain tourism potential. The lineup includes new additions: a presentation by the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission on medical tourism resources, and inspection visits for travel agents and influencers to international medical institutions, Chang'an Auto, golf courses, and acrobatic troupes.
Combined with recent campaigns where international students served as "tourism ambassadors," these efforts highlight Chongqing's ambition to grow its "Inbound Tourism +" offerings. In the near future, overseas visitors can expect more diverse experiences that combine healthcare, wellness, industrial tours, sports, education, and the arts.
Broader openness
As a core demonstration of inland openness, the 2025 Chongqing International Travel Agents Conference (Autumn-Winter Edition) will feature extensive regional collaboration. Chongqing's culture and tourism authority will coordinate with neighboring provinces — Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, and Hunan — for joint field trips and promotional events. This year's "Sichuan–Chongqing–Chamdo" tri-regional linkage deepens that cooperation.
Following a recent visit by UAE travel agents and influencers along the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, Sichuan and Chongqing will again co-host promotions, while Tibet’s Chamdo region will join the lineup for the first time. Some participants will also continue their tours into Guizhou afterward. These coordinated efforts leverage Chongqing’s transport-hub advantages to create more connected, high-quality travel routes for overseas visitors.
The UAE FAM TRIP explored the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor. (Photo/The event organizer)
Policy in action
Over the past year, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development has worked with 16 departments to turn the Chongqing Inbound Tourism Promotion Plan (2024–2026) into practical action. A new multilingual service center for international arrivals has opened at Jiangbei International Airport, and multilingual tourism maps are in high demand.
The city continues to strengthen "air-tour integration," holding regular "Quick-Response" meetings to align flight routes with market demand. Working with Trip.com, Sichuan Airlines, and Chongqing Airlines, the city has launched live-streaming promotions targeting Thailand and Singapore. Visa, customs, and hotel check-in procedures have become faster and easier — for example, a one-stop group-visa service now covers both Sichuan and Chongqing. More POS terminals accepting foreign cards and duty-free stores are being rolled out.
At the conference opening, multiple departments — including the Public Security Bureau, Chongqing Border Inspection, and the People's Bank of China — will jointly introduce new inbound-tourism facilitation policies.
City-district synergy
Chongqing's core districts — Yuzhong, Jiulongpo, and Shapingba — continue to attract visitors with their signature "8D magical city" and world-heritage tours, while Dazu and Wulong remain strong performers. Meanwhile, new forces are rising: Fengjie, Wushan, and Pengshui are gaining attention with creative promotions, and emerging destinations like Tongnan and Shizhu will debut at this year's event.
The conference, jointly hosted by the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development and ten district governments, reflects stronger city-district collaboration. During the event alone, more than 20 new tourism routes are expected to be launched, covering all four seasons and featuring a wide range of experiences — from mountains and rivers to culture, wellness, and gastronomy.
According to the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, "From promoting individual scenic spots to empowering the entire industry value-chain, the conference has become an important window for Chongqing's external openness." The event is expected to bring together nearly 400 guests from around 40 countries and regions.