On 29 May, the “International Mountain Tourism Day 2023” theme events titled “Enjoy the Wonder of Mountains, Share the Beauty of Life, Revitalize the Tourism Industry” kicked off in Vientiane, Laos. The events were jointly organized by Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR (MICT), International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), and supported by World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), ASEAN-China Center (ACC), China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE), Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Foreign Affairs Office. Over 250 guests from international organizations, IMTA members, and tourism institutions, culture and tourism enterprises, experts and scholars, and global media workers from Laos and other countries, gathered together to discuss the supply, market development, and solutions of mountain tourism facing the new consumer demands, explore the system of mountain tourism cooperation and governance within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) framework, and jointly facilitate the full recovery, opening and interaction of the tourism market. Guests, from various perspectives, offered constructive and forward-looking insights on the new-stage innovation and regional development of mountain tourism. The events has aroused widespread concern in the international tourism industry.
During the opening ceremony, Zhu Shanzhong, UNWTO Tourism Ambassador, delivered a speech.
It's a great honor to be invited by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance to speak on this occasion. We gather today in the beautiful country of Laos to celebrate International Mountain Tourism Day, 2023.
Good news is coming from around the world. According to the latest data of UNWTO, International tourism is well on its way to returning to pre-pandemic levels, with twice as many people travelling during the first quarter of 2023 than in the same period of 2022. International arrivals reached 80% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2023. Tourism has continued to show its resilience.
And in this upward journey, mountain tourism has played, and will continue to play, an important role. Our mountains are more than just inspiring landscapes. They are home to around 1.1 billion people. Yet, these same mountains draw in big numbers of tourists each year, attracted by their unique biodiversity, local cultures, and outdoor activities. According to data from the International Mountain Tourism Alliance in 2019, the number of mountain tourists worldwide reached 1.22 billion, generating a global income from mountain tourism of 1.36 trillion US dollars.
The role of mountain tourism in our post-pandemic world cannot be overstated. As we are getting over the pandemic, the world is seeking open-air, nature-based destinations. Mountain tourism caters to this demand, while also providing much-needed support to local economies, promoting biodiversity conservation, and fostering cultural exchange and understanding. It is a crucial component of our path to a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive global tourism sector.
So, on this International Mountain Tourism Day, let us celebrate not only the incredible beauty of our world's mountains, but also their potential to lead us towards a brighter, more sustainable future in tourism. Thank you all for your commitment, your passion, and your dedication. Your efforts are making a profound difference, and for this, I express my deepest gratitude.
