Mountain tourism is rich in resources and has a broad space for development. It is one of the best carriers for the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism. The impact of the Covid pandemic has made people pay more attention to ecological security, life health and quality of life. Tourists will also pay more attention to diversified experiences such as tourism + wellness, tourism + vacation, tourism + sports, tourism + cultural experience, tourism + history, etc., and develop a healthy and harmonious tourism model to meet the people’s yearning for beautiful life in the new era. The new expectations and new requirements of life are the general trend. With its landscape aesthetics, scientific research value, healthy ecological environment and profound humanistic precipitation, mountains support life through a variety of ecosystem services, creating a long-standing regional culture, colorful customs and healthy tourism experience. In recent years, mountain life such as exquisite camping, RV life, and outdoor sports that have gradually emerged has become a travel and social way that more and more groups yearn for, and it has also opened up a new path for the exchange and prosperity of the global tourism industry.
A few days ago, Fu Yingchun, Executive Secretary-General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, introduced that green development and eco-friendliness are the future directions of world economic development and the only way for the reconstruction of the global tourism governance system and sustainable development. In the current situation, as a non-governmental and non-profit international tourism organization should give a strong voice and put it into action. The "2022 International Mountain Tourism Day Theme Event" is a useful practice. "International Mountain Tourism Day" is an international commemorative day successfully initiated and established by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance in 2018. It aims to arouse people's awareness of protecting mountain resources and inheriting mountain civilization; it advocates the industry to join hands in the realm of "high mountains and people as peaks". Promote the mountain economy, benefit the people in the mountains, discuss and build a bright future for sustainable mountain tourism development; build a platform for IMTA members and the industry to participate, nurture, and win together. It is not only a commemorative day in the field of international mountain tourism, it is also a carrier of openness and inclusiveness, and it is also a common festival for mountain tourism enthusiasts around the world. This year's "International Mountain Tourism Day" event was changed from offline to online due to the pandemic. We made full plans in a limited time to connect the wonderful mountains through the Internet, giving the event the theme of the times: "Mountain Tourism Promotes Healthy Life and Cultural Exchange".
"International Mountain Tourism Day" banner 2019 summit of Mount Everest
Fu Yingchun said: We have carefully planned this online event and cooperated with Cultural Tourism China for the first time, focusing on mobilizing a strong new media network, connecting five continents and domestic IMTA members, destination agencies, enterprises, experts, etc. to carry out the "cloud" exchange and interaction around the theme and three major topics. At that time, people can learn about the latest information, knowledge, stories of "Mountain Tourism+", as well as new formats and products of mountain tourism, and will share a feast of traveling in the mountains. At the same time, we also interact offline and online in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, where the headquarters of IMTA is located, and hold the Mountain Life Consumption Experience, 8·9·00 Concept Meeting, and IMTA World Famous Mountain Series— “Pursuit of the heart · Focus of the Jiabang”. The photography exhibition and other activities are aimed at young entrepreneurs and consumer groups, and will present many scenes of the integration of sports and tourism. In short, this will be a new and unique "International Mountain Tourism Day" theme event. Here, we hope that all sectors of society will give more warmth and concern to the mountain tourism in the context of the pandemic, so as to inspire our confidence to move forward bravely, and we also look forward to more mountain tourism practitioners and tourists to help and participate in this event.
The "International Mountain Tourism Day" is a global commemorative day marked by the first human beings to climb the world's highest peak - Mount Everest. Since 2019, “International Mountain Tourism Day” has been held for three years, themed on “High-quality Development of Mountain Tourism Guided by Ecology, Green and Technology,” “Epidemic Crisis and Challenges, Opportunities and Trends Facing Mountain Tourism,” and “World Heritage Protection and Green Development of Mountain Tourism” respectively, to explore the development patterns and practices for mountain tourism against different backdrops, and yield a positive influence in the world tourism industry.
This event has been actively supported by international organizations such as the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Nordic Walking Federation (INWA). At that time, Shao Qiwei, Vice Chairman of the IMTA, Lu Yongzheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and Minister of Publicity, He Yafei, Secretary General of IMTA, and Maribel Rodríguez, Member of the World Tourism and Travel Industry Council (WTTC), Senior Vice President of Business and Events, Aki Karihtala, President of the International Nordic Walking Federation(INWA), Georgian Ambassador to China, Deputy Head of the Israeli Embassy in China and other important guests will make presentations through the Internet. They will give addresses or speeches sharing with everyone around the theme. Dai Bin, the tourism industry expert and director of the China Tourism Academy, Chen Ping, expert of IMTA Expert Committee, Serge Koenig, member of IMTA Expert Committee and Xiao Gang, well-known mountain sports and wellness expert , representatives of relevant institutions in China will discuss the development trend of mountain tourism in multi-dimensional, multi-level and diverse, and help the common development of industrial clusters. In addition, the event will also organize international members of the IMTA and industry organizations to share on "healthy and life" and "civilization and exchange". It is foreseeable that this will be a grand event for the international mountain tourism industry in the new challenges and opportunities.
The 5.29 International Mountain Tourism Day this year has received positive responses from IMTA member units and industry organizations around the world. All regions have launched a variety of theme activities around the theme of 5.29 to celebrate the arrival of this international festival. In Asia, the Nepal National Tourism Administration will carry out a unique mountain marathon; the Asian Cave Association will "walk into" a thousand-meter-deep cave to provide all kinds of knowledge about caving; Hokkaido International Art Center in Japan will produce "Japan's Four Seasons" Feature photo shorts to showcase the beauty of Japan's mountains. In Africa, the African Wildlife Foundation will enter the tropical rainforest and led travel enthusiasts to experience the harmonious coexistence of humans and animals. In South America, Ecuador's volcanic corridor hikes will lead people to fantastical worlds beyond Earth. In Australia, Manawa Honey NZ will show us the ancient Māori method of making honey, a wonderful way to live in harmony with mountain nature. In China, Wuzhishan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China National Geographic Camp, Anji Yunshang Grassland, and Skydive Weland will hold mountain outdoor activities based on RV camping, extreme skydiving, and hiking.
The event will also be synchronously reported on multiple platforms such as Cultural Tourism China and its media matrix (People's Daily Online, Xinhuanet, Xuexi.cn, CCTV, Guangming.com, Tencent, Baidu, Sohu, NetEase, Toutiao). Cultural Tourism China APP, Cultural Tourism China's official Weibo, Tencent, Baidu and other domestic platforms, Facebook, YouTube and other international social platforms will synchronously live broadcast the event. The event also attracted more than 160 news media such as the Global Times, Daily News, Asahi Shimbun, Kyoto Shimbun, Yonhap News Agency, Korea Naver, Korea Nate, Euronews, ITAR, PR Newswire, CBS, ABC, YAHOO, etc., they will also have news coverage of the event.
Mountain tourism is in the ascendant with broad prospects. "2022 International Mountain Tourism Day Theme Event" is the cooperation and sharing platform of IMTA to promote mountain tourism, advocate healthy life, and promote cultural exchanges. The IMTA will accumulate experience in practice, expand its influence, and continue to build mountain tourism a "golden business card" of international exchange ties and bridges contributes to this.
