Global Tourism Economy Forum

What Global Tourism Economy Forum does

The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) is a government-affiliated international platform and annual flagship summit founded in 2012, organized by the Secretariat for Economy and Finance of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government through the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC). Its core product is the annual multi-day forum that convenes heads of state, ministers of culture and tourism, Fortune Global 500 executives, tourism industry leaders, academics, and entrepreneurs from 90+ countries for high-level policy dialogue, investment promotion, cultural tourism showcases, and industry networking. Across 11 editions (2012-2025), GTEF has engaged over 14,000 on-site participants and 2.3 million online participants from 95 countries, with 706 world-renowned speakers contributing across sessions.

The forum's underlying technology is modest: it operates as an in-person conference platform augmented by hybrid digital broadcast capabilities, a dedicated registration portal (tcc.gte-forum.com), an official multilingual website (gte-forum.com), and an on-demand Forum Replay library covering 2020, 2023, and 2025 editions. It maintains active social media presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Weibo, and WeChat. The forum's competitive position is built not on proprietary technology but on institutional backing: it is included in China's State Council 14th Five-Year Plan for Tourism Development and holds an elevated partnership with UN Tourism (signed 2023 MoU in Lisbon), with UN Tourism having pledged support since 2018 to position GTEF as the 'Davos Forum of the Global Tourism Industry.'

GTEF's revenue model combines participant registration fees, corporate sponsorships from hospitality and tourism companies, and exhibition/showcase fees from provinces, cities, and countries promoting tourism brands. However, no pricing is publicly disclosed, and the entity operates as a non-profit international platform with the Macao SAR Government serving as the institutional organizer and likely primary underwriter. Its customer base spans government officials and tourism ministers, industry executives, scholars, and Chinese provinces/cities seeking international investment partnerships. The 11th edition in December 2025 marked a strategic geographic expansion to Harbin, Heilongjiang Province—the first time the forum was held outside Macao—establishing a twin-gateway platform linking Macao's role as an East-West bridge with Heilongjiang's position as gateway to Northeast Asia.

Name

Global Tourism Economy Forum

Legal name

Global Tourism Economy Forum

Website

https://gte-forum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) is a government-affiliated annual international summit founded in 2012 and organized by the Macao SAR Government, convening government officials, tourism ministers, industry executives, and scholars from 90+ countries for policy dialogue, investment promotion, and cultural tourism cooperation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Tourism Forum and Conference Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGAGAK

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)

SECONDARYTHAHAMAG

Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Corporate Meetings & Summits

SECONDARYBPADAMAO

Tourism Trade & Services Exports Development

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Trade & Economic Development

SECONDARYTHAHAHAD

Pavilion & Country/Group Exhibit Build-Outs

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Booth Design, Exhibition Stand Builders & Show Services

Keywords

• International tourism forum
• Travel industry conferences
• Government tourism summits
• Cultural tourism showcases
• Tourism investment events

Headquarters

HQ city

Macau

HQ country

Macao SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Forum Attendance and Registration: Revenue is generated through participant registration fees for the annual forum events, both in-person and virtual attendance options. The forum attracts high-level government officials, industry executives, and tourism professionals.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership: Corporate sponsorships from major hospitality, tourism, and related industry companies. Supporting units and co-organizers contribute to forum operations, including hosts like Heilongjiang Province and founding organizer GTERC.
3. Exhibition and Showcase Fees: Cultural tourism showcases and exhibition space for participating organizations, provinces, and countries to promote their tourism brands and investment opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) produces and operates an annual international summit that brings together government officials, industry executives, experts, and entrepreneurs to discuss policy, investment, and trends in the global tourism economy. Its offering is delivered through in-person events complemented by a hybrid live-broadcast and on-demand video replay platform, an online registration system, an affiliated research centre (GTERC), and supporting cultural tourism showcases and investment-and-financing sessions for participating provinces, cities, and countries.

Product overview

The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) operates as an annual flagship summit platform rather than a traditional software product. The core offering is the annual GTEF event, which serves as a world-class platform for exchange and cooperation dedicated to advancing sustainable development of the global tourism industry. Supporting products include the Forum Replay video platform for accessing recorded sessions, an online Registration System for attendee enrollment, the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC) as the associated research institution, and the Investment and Financing Conference as a concurrent business matching session. The forum has successfully held eleven editions since 2012, attracting over 14,000 on-site participants and millions of online viewers from 90+ countries. The forum operates primarily from its base in Macao SAR with its 2025 edition held in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) Annual Summit The primary annual international summit that brings together high-level government officials, industry leaders, experts, and entrepreneurs to discuss opportunities, challenges, and trends in the cultural and tourism sectors. It is organized in a hybrid in-person and online format featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, cultural tourism showcases, and investment promotion sessions. Targeted at government tourism ministries, hospitality and travel industry executives, and tourism experts and scholars globally.
• GTEF Forum Replay On-demand video replay platform offering recorded sessions from past forum editions, enabling access to keynote speeches, panel discussions, and special interviews. The library covers 2020, 2023, and 2025 editions and is geared toward delegates, media, and researchers who want to consume forum content after the live event.
• GTEF Registration System Online registration portal hosted at tcc.gte-forum.com that handles delegate enrollment for each annual GTEF edition, including in-person and virtual attendance options. Used by government delegations, corporate executives, and other prospective attendees to apply and confirm participation.
• Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC) Research institution that conducts tourism research and provides analytical support for forum discussions and policy recommendations, including co-published reports with UN Tourism such as Asia Tourism Trends. Headquartered in Macao and led by Vice Chairman Xu Jing.
• GTEF Investment and Financing Conference Concurrent session at the GTEF summit designed to expand investment and cooperation channels for local and global cultural tourism industry participants through business matching and project presentations. Targeted at investors, tourism operators, and government investment promotion agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 14,000 on-site participants and 2.3 million online participants from 95 countries/regions across 10 editions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• UN TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023GTEF and UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on elevated partnership in Lisbon, Portugal in April 2023. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili attends forum editions. The partnership includes collaborative sessions, research projects, and joint initiatives to promote sustainable tourism development globally. UN Tourism has pledged to support GTEF in becoming the 'Davos Forum of Global Tourism.'
• Macao SAR Government (Secretariat for Economy and Finance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Secretariat for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government serves as the organizer of GTEF. The government hosts the forum annually to position Macao as a world centre of tourism and leisure, leveraging the institutional advantages of 'One Country, Two Systems.'
• Heilongjiang Province GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeilongjiang Province co-organized the 11th GTEF 2025 in Harbin, marking the forum's first edition outside Macao. The province contributes its position as gateway to Northeast Asia and leadership in ice-snow tourism. UN Tourism presented Harbin with a certificate recognizing its global leadership in ice and snow tourism during the opening ceremony.
• World Tourism Alliance (WTA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWTA collaborates with GTEF on sessions including 'Shaping the Future of Travel: The Transformative Power of Technology.' WTA Vice Chair and Secretary-General Liu Shijun moderates sessions, bringing 252 members across 45 countries to the forum platform.
• World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWTTC collaborates on industry-driven innovation sessions such as 'Leading the Way: Industry-Driven Innovations for High-Quality Development.' WTTC Senior Vice President Maribel Rodriguez moderates panel discussions. GTEF 2023 featured a session where Interim President & CEO Gloria Guevara participated.
• European Travel Commission (ETC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerETC partners with GTEF on sessions including 'A Renewed Vision: Reshaping Tourism in Europe.' ETC Executive Director Eduardo Santander serves as Honorary Vice Chairman of GTEF and Executive Member of GTEF Council. ETC represents National Tourism Organisations created to promote Europe as a tourism destination.
• World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWTCF collaborated on the session 'Redefining City Tourism for the Next Decade' at GTEF 2023. WTCF Deputy Secretary-General Yan Han moderated the session focusing on how city tourism can be upgraded and transformed.
• International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMTA collaborates on sessions including 'Fireside Chat: Conversations across Continents: Mountain and Wellness Tourism.' IMTA Vice Chairman & Secretary-General He Yafei serves as GTEF Honorary Chairman & Executive Member of GTEF Council, promoting mountain destination cooperation.
• China Chamber of Tourism (CCT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCT co-organized the session 'Tourism Makes People's Lives Better' at GTEF 2023. CCT President Ji Xiaodong participates as a speaker. CCT serves as the primary industry association representing China's tourism sector at the forum.
• Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPATA partners with GTEF on sessions including 'Best Practices in Tourism' at the 2020 edition. PATA Chairman Peter Semone participates as a speaker. PATA focuses on travel and tourism development in the Pacific Asia region.
• Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTERC serves as the founding organizer and research institution behind GTEF, headquartered in Macao. The center conducts tourism research and provides analytical insights for forum discussions. GTERC co-publishes research with UN Tourism including the Asia Tourism Trends report.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum (Davos): UN Tourism has explicitly positioned GTEF as a potential "Davos Forum of the Global Tourism Industry." WEF serves as both aspirational benchmark and broader incumbent — a multi-sectoral high-level convener rather than tourism-specialised, but the most cited structural model for GTEF's positioning.

Direct peers

• World Travel Market (WTM) London: Operated by RX (Reed Exhibitions), WTM London is the world's largest travel trade show with 40+ years of legacy, drawing 40,000+ attendees from 180+ countries. It is the closest direct comp to GTEF as a flagship annual international tourism trade event with high-level government and industry participation.
• Boao Forum for Asia: China-based annual government-backed high-level summit for Asia-Pacific economic and policy dialogue. Directly comparable to GTEF in structure, audience (heads of state, ministers, business leaders), Chinese government endorsement, and the model of rotating host cities to anchor diplomatic convening power.
• Arabian Travel Market (ATM): RX-operated flagship travel trade event in Dubai for Middle East tourism, attracting 30,000+ attendees and 1,500+ exhibitors. Direct peer to GTEF as a regional anchor tourism forum with strong government backing and international travel industry participation.
• ITB Berlin: Run by Messe Berlin, ITB Berlin is the world's leading travel trade show with 10,000+ exhibitors from 180+ countries. Direct comp to GTEF given its scale, government-backed pavilion participation, and positioning as a flagship tourism economy forum.
• IMEX Group: Operates IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America, the leading trade shows for the global MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) industry. Direct comp to GTEF given shared focus on high-level international conference and event organisation with global delegate recruitment.
• PATA Travel Mart: PATA's flagship annual travel trade event for Asia-Pacific, drawing thousands of tourism buyers, sellers, and government officials. Direct comp to GTEF given PATA's role as a partner of GTEF and its parallel function as a regional tourism forum with industry-driven sessions.
• IBTM World: RX (Reed Exhibitions)-operated flagship MICE trade show in Barcelona for events, meetings, and incentive travel. Comparable to GTEF as a major international MICE platform serving government, association, and corporate buyers.
• FITUR Madrid: Organised by IFEMA, FITUR is Spain's flagship international tourism trade fair with 250,000+ visitors and 8,000+ exhibitors. Comparable to GTEF as a major government-supported, country-pavilion-driven international tourism forum.

Regional players

• China International Travel Mart (CITM): Organised by the China Tourism Association and supported by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, CITM is the flagship B2B travel trade fair in mainland China. Comparable to GTEF given its China-centric international tourism focus, though it operates as a pure trade expo rather than a policy forum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gteforum
• Facebookfacebook.com/gteforum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-tourism-economy-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Global Tourism Economy Forum