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, Emma Chen, Global Vice President of the Internationale Organisation Für Volkskunst (IOV) delivered a speech.
It is a great honor to be invited by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) to Vientiane, Laos to participate in the theme event of "International Mountain Tourism Day 2023". I'm really glad to discuss and share with all of you for the promotion of the full recovery of international mountain tourism, the sustainable development of the market and concrete solutions.
According to the theme of this event, "Enjoy the Wonder of Mountains, Share the Beauty of Life, Revitalize the Tourism Industry", I would like to share with you about "the inheritance and resource utilization of mountain folk crafts", which is also a direction I have been thinking and studying for many years.
Human civilization comes from the joint creation of ideas and hands. Mountain ecology is an inexhaustible resource given to us by nature, while mountain folk traditional handcrafts, as an important component of mountain culture, are valuable treasures left to us by our ancestors. They carry the connotation of civilization development in different periods, and record the diversified ethnic cultures, customs, lifestyles and religious beliefs of different countries and regions.
As the crystallization and embodiment of human wisdom, traditional handicrafts have been handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. The development and evolution of existing handicrafts in the world is a testimony to the development of human beings. A large number of traditional handicrafts contain artisan culture and artisan spirit. There are different styles of handicrafts in different countries around the world. Many of these unique products still shine in contemporary tourism, and many tourist attractions produce and sell them as an important part of local tourism, as well as being part of a tourist tour. They not only improve the living standard of local aborigines and bring them considerable income, but also allow cultural heritage to be well inherited and utilized. These distinctive and diverse traditional handicrafts are important carriers of the diverse culture of the mountain tourism industry, and moreover, they are an important pillar of local tourism income.
With the rapid development of modern economy, handicraft skills have been replaced by industrialized, low-cost and high-volume production. Many handicraft products have been transformed into machine production, causing a large number of traditional handicrafts to gradually disappear due to the decline of the industry. The handicraft skills that once contained a high degree of wisdom in human history have been lost due to the deterioration of the living environment. As the pace of life accelerates and changes, modern people's demand for material life and consumption habits have also changed. It is a problem that must be taken seriously that traditional handicrafts are being left out and replaced in such an environment.
More regrettably, the tourism industry has been hit hard by the epidemic in the past three years, which has also resulted in many craftspeople losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet. While talking about the revitalization and recovery of the mountain tourism business today, we should also concern ourselves with these craftsmen groups and the craft skills being badly hit.
We are pleased to see that the world's tourism economy is gradually recovering. As a professional international organization, the International Mountain Tourism Alliance has a heavy responsibility. We should value and advocate the importance of preserving traditional handicrafts, and through its influence and appeal, call on the international community to protect and value mountain handicraft resources, recognizing their value and role.
The inheritance and resource utilization of mountain folk handicrafts is an important task for cultural preservation and economic development. For the sustainable development of international mountain folk traditional handicrafts, we need to consider the following points:
I. Organize professionals to participate in the innovation and modernized R&D and design of traditional handicrafts
Create linkage opportunities for traditional craftsmen and contemporary designers, so that they can empower each other, thus combining traditional techniques with modern designs. Through innovative design concepts, modern high-tech craft techniques inject new energy into traditional mountain crafts, including the selection of new materials, the use of new patterns and colors, the incorporation of modern elements and conformity to contemporary aesthetic concepts and lifestyles, to make them more in line with the needs of the modern market, especially consumers.
II. Utilize the advantages of new Internet media to expand sales channels and enhance marketing
Introduce and disseminate traditional handicrafts through social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and other digital marketing means, attract young viewers to watch online, enhance the dissemination of handicrafts globally, to improve their visibility and reputation.
III. Establish an effective transmission mechanism and education and training system
Encourage traditional craftsmen to teach traditional skills and knowledge by setting up traditional crafts training centers, colleges, workshops and so on, to cultivate young people's interest and love for traditional crafts. Cultivate the younger generation of craftsmen by organizing an apprenticeship system or master-apprentice succession to ensure the continuation of traditional crafts. In addition, it is possible to work with schools to incorporate handicrafts into the curriculum and improve students' knowledge and appreciation of traditional handicrafts through impartation.
IV. Call on countries to formulate relevant laws and regulations and introduce relevant industrial support policies
By leveraging the advantages and influence of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, call on relevant government departments of each country to issue relevant policies to support the development and inheritance of traditional handicrafts, including specific supportive policies such as providing financial support, tax exemptions, and setting up special handicraft protection zones. Also, countries can protect the status of traditional handicrafts as cultural heritage and prevent infringement or unfair competition by formulating exclusive laws and regulations on intellectual property rights.
V. Integrate mountain folk crafts into the key aspects of mountain tourism development
By organizing handicraft workshops and demonstrating the process of handicraft making, traditional handicrafts are promoted and publicized as part of the tourist attractions to attract tourists to visit and buy traditional handicrafts. In addition, it is also possible to conduct handicraft experience activities to allow tourists to participate and gain a deeper understanding of the charm and value of mountain folk handicrafts.
As an important part of mountain folk culture, ancient, rustic yet exquisite and fabulous traditional handicrafts always inadvertently convey the cultural message of a country and region, expressions and creativity from the folklore. With strong regional color, they express local living customs, people's understanding and expression of life and beauty. They speak of a completely different life experience and sentiment from commodity consumption, and are a valuable cultural treasure for all peoples of the world. Actively study mountain culture, consciously and confidently explore and recognize the value of traditional handicrafts, so that they can be creatively inherited and developed. Only in this way will the cultural ecology of human beings be healthier and more vigorous and powerful, thus allowing for a healthier and more sustainable socio-economic development in the mountains.
Thanks to this dedication to the study of the world's traditional handicrafts, Jinan University, with the support of UNESCO, was awarded the UNESCO Chair in "World Traditional Handicraft: Heritage and Innovation" in October 2022. This is currently the only Chair in the world that focuses on the heritage and innovation of the world's traditional handicrafts. Its goal is to enhance the creativity, viability and innovative design capabilities of craftspeople (especially women craftspeople) in today's society, and to explore the contemporary application and transformation of traditional handicrafts.
We look forward to working with Lao and national governments, international organizations, communities, universities and educational institutions to respond to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and UNESCO Conventions on Culture Protection, and to promote the heritage and innovation of traditional handicrafts around the world.
We would like to thank the International Mountain Tourism Alliance for opening up a shared space from an international perspective, enabling practitioners from different regions to jointly share the essence and content of mountain culture, and for persistently organizing the theme of International Mountain Tourism Day to pass on the consciousness of mountain civilization and arouse more attention and participation; to strengthen people's awareness towards the protection of mountain cultural heritage, to raise the living standards of traditional craftsmen, especially to improve the status and employability of women craftsmen, to work together to create an excellent mountain tourism environment, to promote the sustainable development of mountain culture, and to create a bright future for international mountain tourism!
