Seminar in Lanzhou to Present the International Tourism Marketing Strategy for Gansu Province, China

Context

Over the past year, UN Tourism has actively been collaborating with the World Bank and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Gansu Province to implement the Gansu Revitalization and Innovation Project, which includes three tourism components: the development of a Tourism Human Capital Strategy, an International Tourism Marketing Strategy, and capacity-building training for the province. Following the successful seminar in October 2024 on the Tourism Human Capital Strategy, UN Tourism and the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism organized a seminar in March 2025 in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, to present and discuss the International Tourism Marketing Strategy.

The seminar was attended by over 50 participants, including representatives from the Provincial Culture and Tourism Department and other key tourism stakeholders in the province. 
 

Highlights

At the outset of the seminar in Lanzhou, a detailed presentation was delivered on the Gansu international tourism marketing strategy, including the proposed vision, growth objectives, growth principles, market positioning and brand framework for international tourism.  Based on this, participants discussed the proposed marketing positioning and brand framework, providing suggestions for slogans, a brand identity and a logo to promote Gansu internationally, using Gansu’s central location on the Silk Road corridor as a main message to convey, e.g. through the slogan “Gansu, where the Silk Road breathes”.

During a panel discussion, tourism experts from universities, the private sector and the Government shined their light on key opportunities and challenges for Gansu to expand its international marketing reach, highlighting the unique cultural and natural heritage of the Province and the opportunities to promote this to tourists from East Asia, South East Asia and Europe, in particular through digital marketing activities, organization of familiarisation tours and active participation in travel fairs.

The seminar concluded with group work, where the participants selected priority actions to attract international travellers to Gansu. Building a new website for international tourism, actively promoting Gansu on social media platforms making special reference to its Silk Road heritage, inviting influencers to the province and engaging with specialized tour operators from East Asia, South East Asia and Europe were identified as key-actions.

Stay Tuned

Based on inputs and feedback received during the seminar, a concise version of the Strategy will be prepared for presentation during the upcoming Silk Road International Cultural Expo in Dunhuang, the tourist centre of Gansu Province, where UN Tourism shall be present with a high-level delegation.

To ensure successful implementation of the International Tourism Marketing Strategy, UN Tourism will deliver further online training to tourism stakeholders from Gansu on tourism planning, management and marketing, paying special attention to the high potential of digital marketing tools. Possibilities are being explored for extending further technical assistance to Gansu on the implementation of selected recommendations from the International Tourism Marketing Strategy, such as building a website for international visitors and facilitating active participation in international travel fairs.