Chinese city named as one of the "World's Top 15 Model Cities for Best Practices in Tourism"

The United Nations World Tourism Organization recently released its list of the World's Top 15 Model Cities for Best Practices in Tourism.

Hangzhou, China was included in the list for its innovative efforts in the protection and development of as well as continuous investment in the city's historical and cultural resources.

The night view of the Qiantang River and downtown CBD in Hangzhou, China's Zhejiang Province. [Photo: VCG]

The award was created to recognise the 15 cities worldwide considered by the organization as examples to emulate when it come to the adoption of best practices in tourism, among its 193 member countries.

Hangzhou applied for the Tourism's Impact on Community and Culture category and was evaluated by the UNWTO. It was the first time Hangzhou competed for an award based on international tourism standards with the goal of taking its tourism sector to the next level and being benchmarked against international standards. The city has achieved a breakthrough with its presence at the evaluation.

The city was selected for inclusion in the list, thanks to its years of efforts in transforming the city into both an international tourism destination and an international city, as well as in enhancing the appeal of its local culture. The city highlighted its international marketing competitiveness by having itself benchmarked against the world's most known tourism destinations and by leveraging its unique tourism resources.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had made a point of promoting Hangzhou's tourism resources at the G20 Summit held in Hangzhou in 2016, immediately raising the visibility of the city worldwide and cementing the city's reputation as a go-to destination.