•    Forum to take place in Taichung from September 16 to 18, bringing together around 200 representatives from 22 cities and 62 local tourism organizations and businesses

•    Chinese Taipei emerges as a key inbound market for Korean tourism cities, ranking first among Busan’s international visitor markets

•    Korean local governments and tourism businesses to explore G2G, G2B and B2B cooperation with local  cities and travel industry partners

•   TPO member cities to strengthen global networks, share tourism policies and successful practices, and identify joint projects

•    Latest city tourism trends and policy issues—including Good Tourism, AI, smart tourism and MICE—to take center stage 

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The Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities (TPO), together with the Taichung City Government, will hold the 10th TPO Forum from September 16 to 18 at The Lin Hotel and other venues in Taichung, Chinese Taipei.

The TPO Forum is the Organization’s flagship international forum, bringing together city governments, tourism experts and industry representatives from around the world to exchange city tourism policies and emerging global trends, strengthen inter-city networks and identify practical areas for cooperation. 

Beyond policy dialogue, the Forum connects government-to-government cooperation (G2G), government-to-business engagement (G2B) and business-to-business partnerships (B2B), bringing policy, networks and business opportunities together in one place.

This year’s Forum will be held in Taichung, one of Korea’s fastest-growing inbound tourism markets, offering Korean local governments and tourism businesses an opportunity to build direct partnerships with local cities and tourism industry stakeholders.

In the first half of 2026, Chinese Taipei surpassed the United States to become Korea’s third-largest inbound visitor market, and ranked first among Busan’s international visitor markets. Spending by visitors from the market increased by 54 percent year on year, demonstrating strong growth not only in arrivals but also in tourism spending.

As a result, Busan and other Korean tourism cities are increasingly identifying the market as a strategic priority. At the Forum, Korean local governments, tourism organizations and businesses will be able to meet directly with city governments and tourism industry representatives from Taichung and other participating cities to explore joint marketing, new tourism product development and expanded visitor exchange.

The Forum will be held under the theme “Sustainable Tourism City: Smart Tourism and Shared Value.” Moving beyond the quantitative growth of visitor numbers, discussions will examine the value that tourism creates for local economies, residents, culture and the environment. Around 200 representatives from TPO member cities, international organizations, academia and the tourism industry are expected to participate.

Key policy issues facing cities worldwide will also be addressed, including Good Tourism, sustainable tourism, generative AI and city destination marketing, smart tourism, and the future of the MICE industry. Participating cities will share policies and successful practices, consider how these experiences can be adapted to their local contexts, and discuss opportunities for future joint projects.

▶ “Bringing More Visitors from Chinese Taipei to Our Cities”—22 Cities and 62 Local Tourism Organizations and Businesses Gather in Taichung

The Forum will bring together a total of 22 cities, including 17 cities from Chinese Taipei—led by host city Taichung, along with Kaohsiung, Taitung and Taoyuan—as well as cities from Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, together with 62 local tourism-related organizations and businesses.

Participants will include city tourism authorities and destination management organizations (DMOs), tourism associations, travel agencies, airlines, accommodation providers and experience-based tourism businesses from Taichung and other participating cities. Korean local governments and tourism companies seeking to attract more visitors from Chinese Taipei will be able to meet key local stakeholders and explore cooperation in new tourism product development, joint marketing and two-way visitor exchange, as well as integrated products connecting air travel, accommodation and local experiences.

Participating cities will also exchange tourism policies and practical experience with other TPO member city delegations and identify partners for follow-up initiatives, including international exchanges and joint promotional activities.

TPO intends to position the Forum not simply as an international conference, but as a working platform where city tourism policy, global networks and tourism business come together.

▶ September 16 | Korean Cities Showcase Their Destinations as G2G, G2B and B2B Cooperation Comes Together

The first day of the Forum will feature a City Tourism Policy Briefing and G2B and B2B business meetings.

Participating cities will present their tourism policies, key tourism assets, priority markets and proposed areas of cooperation directly to local stakeholders in Taichung. Korean cities seeking to attract more visitors from the market will be able to showcase their tourism content, festivals, MICE offerings, medical and wellness tourism, culinary experiences and local tourism products, while discussing their potential for development into market-ready products.

The subsequent business meetings and tourism roadshow will allow TPO member cities and local organizations and businesses to discuss practical cooperation in areas such as joint marketing, tourism product development and visitor exchange.

One-on-one bilateral meetings between member cities will also be arranged. Based on a preliminary survey of participants’ interests, cities will meet with prospective partners to discuss tourism policies and common challenges, sister- or friendship-city relations, joint projects, people-to-people exchanges and mutual promotion. The meetings will be held in 30-minute sessions by advance reservation, with any remaining slots available for on-site registration.

By bringing together inter-city policy exchange, government-to-business cooperation and business-to-business engagement, the Forum will enable participants to gain policy insights, meet potential partners and identify new business opportunities within a single event.

▶ September 17 | Global Cities Discuss the Future of Tourism through Policy, Trends and Successful Practices

At the opening ceremony, TPO will officially present ‘Good Tourism’, its newly established vision for the future of tourism.

Good Tourism is founded on the recognition that conventional indicators centered on visitor numbers and tourism expenditure may measure the scale of tourism activity but do not fully capture the outcomes that tourism leaves behind for destinations.

At a special session held during the Asia Pacific Tourism Association Annual Conference in July, TPO worked with academics and city tourism practitioners to identify five pillars of Good Tourism: local economic circulation; resident quality of life and social carrying capacity; regenerative environmental management; cultural authenticity and preservation; and good governance.

Building on this new tourism paradigm, the Forum will address the latest policy issues shared by cities worldwide, including AI, smart tourism, sustainable tourism and MICE.

▶ Session 1 | Smart Tourism and the Sustainable Transformation of Cities

Albert Salman, President of Green Destinations, will deliver the keynote presentation during Session 1.

Salman will outline how cities can combine smart tourism with sustainable governance to lead tourism transformation. Representatives from the accommodation and travel sectors will then share the challenges and practical priorities of sustainable tourism from an industry perspective.

▶ Session 2 | From Growth to Value: Building Good Tourism Cities

Organized by TPO, Session 2 will be held under the theme “From Growth to Value: Building Good Tourism Cities.” The session will focus on translating the Good Tourism framework presented at the opening ceremony into practical language for city policymaking.

Professor Yulan Yuan of Tunghai University will explain why tourism policy must move beyond growth indicators focused on visitor numbers and expenditure to consider the value tourism creates for local economies, residents, culture and the environment. She will also present how the five core pillars of Good Tourism can be applied to city tourism policy.

Indhran Seghar, Founding Director of AIR APAC, will then deliver a presentation entitled “How Does AI See Our City?” He will examine how cities appear in generative AI search and recommendation results and discuss the factors shaping tourism competitiveness in the AI era, as well as how cities can use AI in tourism policymaking and destination marketing.

▶ “Will Generative AI Recommend Our City as a Travel Destination?”—One-on-One AI Tourism Policy Diagnostics

One of the Forum’s featured programs will be its one-on-one AI Tourism Policy Consulting sessions for participating cities.

Mr. Seghar will conduct an advance assessment of how each city appears in generative AI searches and recommendations. Based on the results, he will provide tailored advice on improving tourism information and responding to the evolving AI environment so that each city’s tourism content and data can be represented more accurately and attractively.

As travelers increasingly turn from conventional search portals to generative AI for destination recommendations, the sessions will enable cities to examine how AI currently perceives and presents them as tourism destinations. The program is expected to be particularly relevant to local government officials responsible for tourism marketing.

The consulting sessions will be held on September 17 in 30-minute time slots. Availability is limited, and advance registration is required.

▶ MICE Roundtable | The Future of Cities and the MICE Industry

The MICE Roundtable will be chaired by Taichung Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-hsin, representing the host city.

Representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, Tourism Malaysia and the hotel industry will discuss the future direction of cities and the MICE industry amid the growth of hybrid events and ESG considerations.

Participants will also explore cooperation between cities and the tourism industry to connect MICE events with city tourism and local industries, while extending the benefits of visitor stays and expenditure across local communities.

▶ September 18 | Site Visit to Taichung Tourism Attractions

On the final day of the Forum, participants will visit major tourism attractions and city tourism policy sites in Taichung.

The site visit will allow participants to experience the city’s tourism content and operational practices firsthand and identify insights that could inform tourism policy in their respective cities.

Other programs held during the Forum will include the 47th TPO Executive Committee Meeting, the TPO Excellence Awards and a flag handover ceremony to Ulsan, the host city of the next TPO Forum in 2028.

▶ Free Registration—Policy, Networks and Business in One Forum

Participation in the Forum is free of charge. Participants are responsible only for their individual travel expenses, including airfare and accommodation.

Shuttle services will be provided between Taichung Airport or designated train stations and the official hotels, The Lin Hotel and Halo House. Two lunches and two dinners will also be provided on September 16 and 17. 

Participants may additionally join the Taichung tourism site visit on the final day.

Online registration closes on Friday, September 4. Cities, organizations and businesses wishing to participate in the City Tourism Policy Briefing, G2B and B2B meetings, bilateral city meetings or AI Tourism Policy Consulting sessions may apply for the relevant programs as part of the online registration process.

“The TPO Forum is a leading international networking platform for city tourism, where cities share tourism policies and experience, learn from one another’s successful practices, and identify new partners and joint projects,” said Kang Da-eun, Secretary-General of TPO. “As this year’s Forum is being held in Chinese Taipei, one of Korea’s fastest-growing tourism markets, it offers Korean cities and tourism businesses a valuable opportunity to pursue policy exchange, build global networks, and explore entry into the Chinese Taipei market.“

“Tourism competitiveness depends not only on the assets a city possesses, but also on how effectively it connects with the world and responds to emerging tourism trends,” she added. “We hope the Forum will enable cities to discuss developments in Good Tourism, AI, smart tourism and sustainable tourism, while creating new tourism opportunities through cooperation between cities and businesses.”

TPO is Korea’s only international organization specializing in tourism, with its Secretariat based in Busan. Busan Metropolitan City currently serves as the President City, while Gimhae and Kota Kinabalu serve as Co-President Cities.

Since its establishment in 2002, TPO has grown into a global city tourism cooperation platform comprising 117 cities and 64 public- and private-sector organizations across 18 countries. The Organization promotes policy cooperation, joint projects and knowledge sharing among cities. More recently, it has advanced the Good Tourism paradigm, which seeks to create positive value for urban economies, culture, communities and the environment through data-driven policymaking and digital transformation.

Contact for Registration: +82-51-502-2989 | arhan@aptpo.org 

Website: https://tpogc.org/forum-detail/