Tianjin has been listed among the Global 15 Best Tourism Sample Cities by the UNWTO.

The selection of global tourism sample cities began in December, 2016. The concept was to investigate, evaluate and select 15 sample cities from 193 member countries, and then promote them to the world.

The project set five civic fields in any city for review: economy, environmental condition, urban management, cultural depth, travel technology and new business models; each city was free to choose one strong field as a basis for application for consideration.

Three cities in China, Beijing, Tianjin and Hangzhou, were selected.

Beijing, an international city, has more than 3,000 years of history and lots of scenic spots and historical sites such as the Palace Museum, the Temple of Heaven, and the Badaling Great Wall. It has also held the Olympic Games, APEC and many conferences.

Tianjin, a city combining Chinese and western elements, is the host city of the Summer Davos meetings. It also has a free trade zone.

Hangzhou is one of the eight ancient cities of China. It has abundant tourism resources and a strong economy.

In recent years, Tianjin's tourism has maintained a good development momentum. Its slogan for tourism, "Tiantianledao, jinjinyouwei"(it means have fun in Tianjin), was selected as the best tourism slogan in China. And with the holding of the 13th National Games, Tianjin is attracting more and more visitors.

Other countries listed include Antwerp of Belgium, Berlin of Germany, Buenos Aires of Argentina, Bogota of Columbia, Capetown of South Africa, Copenhagen of Denmark, Linz of Austria, Seoul of Korea, Sapporo of Japan, Turin of Italy, and Tokyo of Japan.