On behalf of the Secretary-General of UNWTO, Mr Francesco Frangialli, I would like to convey my warmest wishes to this meeting. I hope it will enjoy the best of success. I am particularly happy that the venue of this meeting is Hangzhou. Hangzhou, with its famous and historical West Lake is one of the cities that fulfilled the criteria and standards for the China Best Cities project, initiated by UNWTO.UNWTO, the Madrid based specialized agency of the United Nations to which 155 countries and over 350 non- governmental members belong, has a long history of fruitful cooperation with China. Over the years, we have contributed to the formulation of seven provincial and two regional tourism development plans in your country. Now China stands in fourth place among the leading tourism countries of the world. UNWTO predicted this success already last century and is confident that, in the future, China will assume its rightful position both as a leading tourism destination and a leading source of international tourists not only in the Asia-Pacific region but worldwide.

Turning to the theme of this meeting, UNWTO wishes to stress the timeliness and the importance of the subject you will consider. Major manifestations such as Expos, Congresses, Conventions and International Sporting Events have become increasingly important for today's tourism. Therefore it is very important to analyze the factors that contribute to their success and to avoid strategies that might lead to failure. UNWTO has followed this subject with considerable attention in these past years. In 2006 we organized an International Conference on Metropolitan Tourism in Shanghai. In 2007 we held in Quingdao an International Forum on Tourism in the Olympics. In a new development, UNWTO's Affiliate Members launched, at the beginning of 2008, a major research project on convention tourism sponsored by Reed Exhibitions a major UK- based organizer of exhibitions. We are sure that the lessons drawn from this project will be beneficial to all. For it is important to realize that the nature of Expos has changed considerably since memorable events such as the Hangzhou Expo of 1929. A similar situation exists with major sporting events which today count upon breathtaking numbers of spectators through the worldwide television coverage they enjoy. The evolution of this market requires our full attention. We must draw lessons from the recently closed Zaragoza Expo 2008 held in Spain on the theme of Water and prepare for the exciting challenge of the Shanghai Universal Expo to be held in 2010. Therefore, UNWTO looks forward to your deliberations and welcomes the conclusions that you will draw. Thank you for this opportunity to address your meeting