CHENGDU, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- A global alliance linking non-governmental players in the world's tourism industry was set up in China on Tuesday.
The World Tourism Alliance was formed by 89 founding members, who are mainly national tourism associations, tourism enterprises and think-tanks from around the world. The launch ceremony was held Tuesday in China's southwestern city of Chengdu.
China, which proposed the idea, is represented in the alliance by 21 businesses, six associations, one research institute and one media organization.
Li Jinzao, director of the China National Tourism Administration, said the international tourism industry has been expecting non-governmental players to unite in dealing with challenges that can not be settled by governments.
He said the alliance will help global tourism grow on a sustainable path.
Gino Andreetta, Club Med CEO for greater China, said the China-initiated alliance will lead the development of global tourism.
According to United Nations World Tourism Organization, the number of global travelers will exceed 1.8 billion by 2030. China is considered the world's fastest growing tourism market and will play a key role in the sector's development.
