Marbella Mayor Visits Southeast China
The Mayor of Marbella is currently on a trip to Southeast China. The city of Marbella is set to host the 25th Congress of the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) in May 2025, as announced by the City Council. The WTCF, headquartered in Beijing, operates internationally and boasts 245 members from 86 countries, including 164 cities and 81 institutional and corporate members.
Marbella to Strengthen International Position
The event, which will take place in the municipality, will bring together prominent premium tour operators and will strengthen our international positioning, the Mayor stated during a meeting with the organization in China. Mayor Ángeles Muñoz emphasized the significant influence of the WTCF and Marbella’s status as a recognized and growing destination in the American market with strong ties to the Middle East. She expressed the city’s ambition to also become a preferred tourist and investment destination in the Asian market, where China undoubtedly leads the sector.
Marbella’s Membership in WTCF
The Mayor pointed out that the city has been a member of the WTCF since 2021, with the aim of positioning itself in this geographical area and being perceived by its citizens as the preferred destination to visit, live, or invest.
Mayor’s Meetings in China
The Mayor is making another trip to China, where she met with the Deputy Secretary-General of the WTCF, Yan Han. According to the City Council, she also held meetings in Guangzhou with Jaime Lorenzo, the Chief Advisor of the city’s Chamber of Commerce; Eduardo Alonso Luengo, the Spanish Consul General in the province of Canton; and Ana La Fuente, the Tourism Advisor of Turespaña in Canton.
Collaboration and Promotion
In line with the collaboration that we started some time ago, we want to continue working to further promote our attractions that position us as a unique place, Muñoz stated. She also met with premium travel agencies and media outlets in an event organized by CTRIP, the largest tour operator in the Asian country, with which the City Council has started a collaboration to develop promotional campaigns in this geographical area.
Previous Trips to China
In 2014, the Mayor of Marbella made trips to China, to the same area she is visiting now, which were quite controversial, mainly due to their opacity. It was eventually revealed in 2019 that Ángeles Muñoz had traveled with one of her sisters and one of her children, who attended with expenses paid with public money. Specifically, in December 2014, she went to China accompanied by her sister Ana Muñoz and one of her sons, Alexander Broberg, who stayed in luxury hotels paid for by the City Council. They stayed in rooms at the China Marriot (in Guangzhou) and Shangri-La (Shenzhen) hotels, the same area she is visiting now. The eight hotel nights were paid for with public money and were also enjoyed by her relatives, as reported by “elDiario.es”.
