The Fifth UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook was successfully held in Guilin, China, on 26-28 October 2011. The Forum was co-organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and hosted by the Guilin Municipal People's Government in collaboration with PolyU.

Taking the theme of "Innovation and Diversification of Tourism in Demanding Times" this year, the Forum aimed to share state-of-the-art research, practices and perspectives on innovation and diversification in new product development, the emergence of new markets and the role of technology in future tourism businesses.

Technical sessions on the first day covered developments in new tourism products and trends, and emerging markets. The second day featured a plenary session on the strategies, practices and growth trends of tourism. The forum was then officially opened by Mr Frederic Pierret, Executive Director of the UNWTO; Mr Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, Vice Chairman of PATA; Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor of the SHTM; Ms Yili Du, Vice Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration; Mr Zhigang Li, Mayor of Guilin; and Mr Jianjun Chen of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Tourism Administration.

The following keynote session entitled "Innovation and Diversification in Tourism: Overall Trends and Outlook" featured Mr Michel Julian, Senior Programme Officer, Tourism Trends and Marketing Strategies Programme of the UNWTO; Mr Stuart Lloyd, Senior Director – Marketing and Membership Services of PATA; Professor Kaye Chon; Dr Nalaka Harshajeewa Godahewa, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority; and Professor Jiadong Tong, Vice President of Nankai University.

Before the Closing Ceremony, Professor Kaye Chon chaired a Panel Session entitled "Innovation and Diversification in Tourism" featuring Mr Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office; Mr Jae Kyung Lee, Vice President of Korea Tourism Organisation; Mr Brent Ritchie, Deputy Head of School of Tourism, University of Queensland; Mr Norain Binti Hj. Othman, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia; and Mr Ganda Sumantri, Deputy Director of Marketing Strategy of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Indonesia.