The 26th Inter-Islands Tourism Policy (ITOP) Forum was held in Bali, Indonesia from June 20-23, 2025. Wang Lei, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan Province, led a delegation to attend the meeting and also gave a speech at the opening ceremony. 

The theme of this year’s forum is ‘Bridging Islands Through Wellness Tourism Rooted in Nature and Culture’, exploring how to best make use of health tourism to promote tourism development while simultaneously protecting natural and cultural resources. Representatives from seven member countries in seven regions attended, including Bali Province in Indonesia, Hainan Province in China, Jeju Province in the Republic of Korea, Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, and Southern Province in Sri Lanka, Phuket Province in Thailand, and Zanzibar in Tanzania.

During the forum, all attendees agreed that the development of health tourism based on natural and cultural resources has brought both opportunities and challenges to sustainable island tourism, and that all parties should prioritize sustainable tourism practices, emphasize community participation and empowerment, strengthen the protection of natural and cultural resources, and encourage innovative and inclusive practices.

In addition to the main forum, a dialogue was also held between practitioners and academics, with each region promoting local tourism resources and sharing tourism development experiences. Participants also signed the ‘Joint Statement of the 26th Island Tourism Policy Forum (2025)’. At the event, the Hainan delegation shared the province’s experience in promoting cooperation through opening up and promoting exchanges through tourism, as well as promoted the industry resources and advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port in developing health tourism, aerospace tourism, and other industries.

The Inter-Islands Tourism Policy Forum was founded in 1997 with the attendance of 4 provincial governments of Bali, Indonesia, Hainan, China, Okinawa, Japan and Jeju, the Republic of Korea. With the strong support of Hainan Province, the event has continued to grow, now boasting ten members and three observer regions. Through the Forum, deep friendships and excellent cooperative relationships have been established between members, laying a solid foundation for the common development of these island regions.