Constructing a mountain tourism where man and nature co-exist harmoniously

2021 Dialogue among Famous Mountains (Mount Fanjing) in the World kicks off

During September 26-28, the 2021 International Mountain Tourism & Outdoor Sports Conference and the 16th Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference kicked off in Tongren city. And the 2021 Dialogue among Famous Mountains (Mount Fanjing) in the World, one of the major events, was held on September 27. The whole event was organized by International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), themed on “constructing a mountain tourism where man and nature co-exist harmoniously,” aimed at exploring a mountain tourism for the harmonious co-existence of mankind and nature in the post-COVID world, so as to facilitate the high-quality industrialization of mountain tourism in Guizhou province.

The 2021 Dialogue among Famous Mountains (Mount Fanjing) in the World is jointly organized by IMTA, Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and People’s Government of Tongren Municipality, with support and help from Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF). It is themed on “constructing a mountain tourism where man and nature co-exist harmoniously,” and held via both online livestreaming and offline gathering. About 300 guests, including representatives of famous mountains, biosphere reserves, renowned mountain tourism destinations, and international travel agencies, as well as elites of the tourism industry, and IMTA members, were invited to discuss around two topics— “Jointly constructing a new pattern of mountain tourism where man and nature co-exist harmoniously,” and “Where there is a famous mountain, there is a famous spring for health—new level of mountain hot spring wellness tourism,” to probe into a new future for mountain tourism where man and nature co-exist harmoniously in the post-COVID world.

At the event, Yu Jie—Party Member of Standing Committee of Guizhou Provincial People’s Congress, Shao Qiwei—former Chairman of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), Vice Chairman of IMTA, Zhang Yaping—Vice President and Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Chairman of Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO, Zhang Xilong—Deputy Director of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Qu Xing—Deputy Director General of UNESCO, and Dr. Palitha T. B. Kohona—Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China were invited to deliver speeches.

He Yafei—Secretary-General of IMTA, Ye Dongkang—Deputy Mayor of Tongren Municipal People’s Government, Tiger Wu—IMTA Expert, Director of International Academy for the Study of Tourism, and International Center for Recreation and Tourism Research at Peking University, Zhang Haifeng—CEO of www.huway.com, Charles Davidson—Chairman of Hot Springs Initiative, Global Wellness Institute, Wang Jie—President of Asia Pacific (Chongqing) Hot Spring and Climate Health Tourism Research Institute, Li Fang—Deputy Director General of Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and Katsuji Shuto—Director of National Hot Spring Health Resort Association delivered keynote speeches.

Research results promote the high-quality development of mountain tourism

At the Dialogue, Fu Yingchun, IMTA Executive Secretary General, released several research fruits, including Mechanism of categorizing and evaluating famous tourism mountains in the world and International Guidebook for the Development of Hiking (Chinese edition), aiming to facilitate the healthy and sustainable development of mountain tourism in the post-COVID world.

IMTA, as a non-profit international organization in Guizhou province, is now rated as China’s top three international tourism organizations, and the only one centered on mountain tourism. IMTA sticks to the principle of “protecting mountain resources, preserving mountain civilization, and promoting mountain economy to the benefit of the people living in mountainous regions,” and closely follows the concept of ecological civilization and sustainable development.

“Dialogue among Famous Mountains in the World” is a high-end platform built by IMTA to strengthen communication and cooperation among mountain cultures, demonstrate the images of mountain tourism destinations, explore the diversified patterns of coordinated development among famous mountains, and eventually build a healthy, green, and sustainable mountain tourism sector. Since 2018, IMTA has held two Dialogues, and invited representatives of over 20 world-famous mountains, including the Alps, Mount Batur, Changbai Mountains, Cairngorms, Mount Fuji, and the Himalayas, to communicate around mountain topics. It has had an extensive and positive influence on world tourism.