The Beijing Institute of Culture and Tourism Development (BICTD) was founded by Beijing International Studies University (BISU) in late 2018 to coordinate development among cultural affairs, cultural and tourism industries. It was listed as a national base for cultural and tourism studies by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2019.

The BICTD is designed to serve the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, conduct studies over cultural and tourism integration, and support the brand building of the Capital Cultural and Tourism Integration Development Forum and the Tourism Economics Symposium.

The BICTD is a national institute in the studies of cultural and tourism integration, holistic tourism development, ecological bank, and tourism-related big data. Its policy proposals have won high acclaim from provincial and ministerial-level officials for many times. During the past three years, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has published over 30 research studies of the BICTD in the Research Review and the Reference for Decision Making in Cultural and Tourism Development.

The BICTD is a member of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's experts committee for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), a member of the National Technical Committee on Tourism Standardization (SAC/TC210).  Three members of the National Technical Committee on Leisure Standardization (SAC/TC498), two members of China Tourism Group's experts committee, and several experts responsible for the review and selection of national demonstration areas for tourism attractions, holistic tourism development, cultural and tourism consumption have undertaken various research topics commissioned by central authorities.

Li Xinjian, executive president of the BICTD and director of its training base, is a chief expert on important research associated with the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC). He is a member of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's experts committee for the 14th Five-Year Plan, deputy director of the China Management Science Society's (CMSS) tourism management committee, a member of the standing committee of Beijing Federation of Social Sciences, and an expert on the provincial-level cultural and tourism think tanks in provinces and autonomous regions including Zhejiang, Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia.