The 2024 World Rural Tourism Council and Asia-Pacific Rural Tourism Alliance Second Quarter Business (Academic) Interaction Report

Hé Lì, Executive Secretary-General, World Rural Tourism Council

Dear Chairman Hé, Vice-Chairmen, Deputy Secretaries-General, Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Chapters in the China Region, Deputy Secretaries-General, distinguished experts, and members,

Good afternoon! On behalf of the Secretariat of the World Rural Tourism Council, I am here to report on our work, primarily addressing two major issues: summarizing the work of the second quarter and outlining the work plan for the third quarter.

I. Report on the Work of the World Rural Tourism Council in the Second Quarter of 2024

Under the leadership of the Presidium and Chairman Hé, and with the concerted efforts of all members, we have primarily deepened the "Four Major Systems" in the second quarter.

1. The organizational and operational system is basically complete. This quarter, we have conducted a new round of improvement to the organizational structure of the World Rural Tourism Council, with adjustments and additions to certain secretarial positions. We have essentially constructed a four-tier organizational system consisting of the Presidium, the Secretariat, the five major regions, and the members. As of now, we have 220 members from 61 countries, including 151 members from 31 chapters in the China region, 40 members from 35 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, 13 members from 11 countries in the European region, 10 members from 10 countries in the African region, and 6 members from 4 countries in the Americas. The organizational and operational system of the Council is now basically established.

2. The communication and exchange platform system has been continuously deepened. We have formulated and improved the "World Rural Tourism Council Information Network Platform Promotion Plan," essentially establishing an official information release and promotion platform centered around the Council's website and public accounts. We have also built diversified network communication platforms including email, WeChat groups, TikTok, etc. The construction of the Secretary-General's exchange platform is also accelerating. Platforms for daily communication, monthly exchange, quarterly interactions, and annual meetings among members are continuously being improved. The communication and exchange platform system of the Council is being deepened.

3. The featured brand live broadcast system has become more mature. The two major public welfare live broadcast brands continued to attract wide attention this quarter. The "Rural Lights Brand Internet Celebrity Live Broadcast" episodes 11, 12, and 13; "The Light of Honggou," "The Light of Damu," and "The Light of Tongzi" each attracted over ten thousand direct viewers and interactions. The "Rural Tourism School Brand Teaching Live Broadcast" lectures 125-130, featuring experts Zhang Chenghong, Cai Hong, Michail Toanoglou, Niu Yuhong, Yu Xiaoping, and Samiha Chemli, collectively attracted over 150,000 viewers and listeners. This has further enhanced the influence of our featured brand live broadcasts, making the featured brand live broadcast system of the Council more mature.

4. The Lucun Forum activity system has been fully launched. In close cooperation with China Zheshang Bank and China Central Television Network, the Council has launched the Lucun Forum's evaluation work of "Six Top-100 Brands of World Rural Tourism " and "Top 10 Financial Institutions Assisting Rural Revitalization." Using this as a breakthrough, we are accelerating the construction of international exchange windows and service platforms for global rural finance, rural revitalization, and rural tourism. The brand activity system of the Council's Lucun Forum has been fully launched.

II. Outlining the Work Plan for the Third Quarter of 2024 for the World Rural Tourism Council

According to the "2024 Work Plan of the World Rural Tourism Council," in the third quarter, we will fully activate the "Three Mechanisms."

Using the interaction meetings as a guide to fully activate the Council’s organizational regulatory operation mechanism.

First, we will improve and perfect the Presidium meeting mechanism. Before the annual meeting, we will hold a Presidium meeting to review the year's work and determine development items for the next year. This meeting is tentatively scheduled for December this year, with preparatory work to be done in the third quarter.

Second, we will initiate standardized Secretary-General meetings. We will organize meetings for the Secretaries-General of the five major regions and the China region in July, fully leveraging their role in connecting the regions and sub-chapters, especially for organizing interaction meetings.

Third, we will comprehensively enhance the interaction meeting mechanism by innovating the third-quarter interaction meetings. This will particularly improve the level of work exchanges and academic interactions across major regions during the third quarter.

Fourth, we will gradually perfect the Academic Committee meeting mechanism. Using the third-quarter interaction meetings as a platform, we will conduct high-quality academic exchanges, focusing on practical and implementable themes for global rural tourism.

Using the Lucun Forum as a guide to fully activate the Council’s market activity operation mechanism.

First, we will organize the 2024 Lucun Forum, further refining the forum plan and various chapter activity plans. Strengthening communication with China Zheshang Bank and China Central Television Network, ensuring tight linkage to host an internationally influential event.

Second, we will organize the members’ quarterly special market activities, carefully planning thematic third-quarter market-oriented summer rural tourism promotional activities, launching the “Four Seasons Rural World Tour” brand.

Third, we will organize member product brand promotion activities. In the third quarter, based on member applications and product characteristics, we will conduct one-on-one project-based, market-oriented, thematic, and personalized member product brand promotion activities.

Using two live broadcast platforms as a guide to fully activate the Council’s service platform operation mechanism.

First, we will improve the Rural Tourism School Internet Celebrity Village Talent Training Platform. Besides conducting twice-monthly regular public live broadcasts of the Rural Tourism School in the third quarter, we will also launch the online village tourism talent training class project for member units based on voluntary applications. This aims to create the “Whampoa Military Academy” of global online rural tourism training.

Second, we will improve the Rural Lights Internet Celebrity Case Brand Cultivation Platform. In the third quarter, we will select three member units for internet celebrity brand case cultivation and, based on this, conduct one-on-one internet celebrity member brand promotion and case cultivation activities, building the online operation “Rural Tourism Network” of global rural tourism.

Third, we will improve the Rural Tourism Encyclopedia Internet Celebrity Academic Research Platform. In the third quarter, we will use "Rural Tourism Operation Practice" as a guide to ignite the research passion of all academic committee members, providing a broader stage for them to showcase their academic research talents in rural tourism, thus establishing the online academic "Lucun Forum" for global rural tourism.

In the same boat we set sail together, embarking on a long voyage through winds and waves! We firmly believe that with everyone's joint efforts, in the third quarter, we will successfully activate the three major mechanisms and accomplish the ten key tasks, enabling the World Rural Tourism Council to play a greater role in the development of global rural tourism!