WTCF: World Tourism Cities Development Report 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global situation in 2022. Since its emergence in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly, affecting millions of people around the world. Although countries continue to strive to control its spread through vaccination campaigns, antigen testing and public health measures, new virus variants and waves of infection have brought continued challenges to communities and healthcare systems, and the entry restrictions of various countries have also brought shocks to the global tourism industry. From the perspective of technology, some tourism companies have adapted to the changing environment by adopting digital technologies, implementing health and safety protocols, and promoting alternative forms of tourism such as local tourism and sustainable tourism. It can be said that the COVID-19 pandemic has also stimulated innovation in the tourism industry.

It is obvious that the global economy has gradually embarked on a journey of recovery in 2022. Although affected by the repeated outbreaks of the epidemic, the global tourism industry is still recovering rapidly. It should be noted that not all regions and countries have recovered in the same way. Tourism demand may vary depending on factors such as local vaccination rates, the effectiveness of containment measures, and travelers' sense of security. Domestic tourism and tourism in neighboring areas may recover faster initially, as people will choose short trips close to home for initial attempts before starting international travel. However, with the rapid recovery of tourism, the trend of international tourism has risen rapidly in 2022. At the same time, a series of new trends have emerged in the overall global tourism industry, such as eco-sustainable tourism, virtual tourism, and the use of digital technology to enhance the travel experience. The emergence of new trends may continue to affect the recovery process.

Tourist cities are the main source and destination of world tourism. 80% of the world's tourism activities are realized through tourist cities. Tourist cities play an important role in promoting the tourism industry of their own countries. An iconic tourist city can not only play an important role in promoting the transformation and innovation of the global tourism economy, but also play a vital role in sustainable development.

The 2022 World Tourism City Development Evaluation Index uses 100 major tourist cities in the world as samples, covering 70 countries and regions in the world and five major tourism sectors: Europe, America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Among them, there are 32 cities in the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for 32% of the 100 evaluated cities, 32 cities in Europe, accounting for 32%, 20 cities in the Americas, accounting for 20%, 8 cities in the Middle East, accounting for 8%, and 8 cities in Africa, accounting for 8%.