The 12th World Congress on Snow, Mountain and Wellness Tourism was held in late March in Andorra, attended by over 400 delegates representing 16 nationalities. Themed "Mountainlikers: Sustainability and Wellbeing, the Keys to Mountain Tourism," the hybrid event was live-streamed.
The sculpture "Seven Poets" represents the seven parishes of Andorra (Source: Haybina Hao)
Andorra is one of the eight smallest countries in Europe, yet the small country takes big actions. In 1995, Andorra joined the UNWTO (now UN Tourism). Subsequently, in 1998, Andorra organized the first World Congress of Snow and Mountain Tourism jointly with the UNWTO. Since then, the congress has been held every two years and hosted by the seven Andorran parishes in rotation. The parish Encomp took the helm in 2024.
Sustainability at the core of the sector
H.E. Mr. Xavier Espot Zamora, Prime Minister of Andorra, addressed the Congress. With 83,000 inhabitants, Andorra welcomed 9.3 million visitors and 12 million overnight stays. Tourism contributes a staggering 50%+ of GDP. However, “Andorra needs premium tourism to better balance quantity and quality and to ensure the economic benefits are not diminished by negative natural and social impacts." He proudly stated that 90% of Andorra's territory continued to be protected by the Burne Convention, the European Landscape Convention, and the Convention of Biological Diversity, and Andorra was a candidate to become the first country fully recognized as a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
The Prime Minister of Andorra attended the speech (Source: Mountainlikers)
Mrs. Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UN Tourism, stated that mountain tourism was responsible for 9–16% of international arrivals. With climate change, social and economic inequality, and geopolitical issues, “mountain tourism has unique opportunities to move forward with a positive impact on people and nature," and “the Congress fits well within the framework of the U.N. declaration of 2023-2027: Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions.” She concluded her congress addresses by saying, “Together, the sector will make sure that mountain tourism is a key driver for sustainable tourism.”
Encamp Mayor, Hon. Mrs. Laura Mas Barrionuevo, stated that “the sustainability of our parish and the well-being of our tourists are the cornerstones of our tourism strategy. In Encamp, we are clear that natural resources are not infinite, and we must give them optimal use and maximum care.” She stated that Andorra had become the international benchmark for high-level professional sporting events and sports tourism, and it needed to protect water, snow, and mountains to sustain itself.
Media interview with Andorran political representatives (Source: Haybina Hao)
Surrounding the sustainability issue, several congress sessions focused on building resilience for mountain communities, preserving local heritage, and sharing best practices.
Strong partnerships to address industry needs
Sandra Carvao, Director of Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at UN Tourism, conducted an interactive session. Through the Mentimeter app, some 10 questions were proposed live to gather immediate answers. For Traveler Profile, audience described as “couples/active/wellness, solo/active/adventure and groups/active/adventure”; for Fighting Seasonality strategies, audience listed diversifying activities, focusing on high value, promoting year-around outdoor activities, etc.; and for Future Discussion Topics, audience named protecting local traditions, educating travelers, and building new infrastructure, etc.
A high-level panel was joined by H.E. Mr. Jordi Torres Falcó, Minister of Tourism and Trade of Andorra; H.E. Mrs. Rosana Morillo Rodríguez, Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain; and Mrs. Alessandra Priante, President of the National Tourism Agency (ENIT) of Italy. Moderated by Natalia Bayona, the speakers addressed policies and strategies for conquering climate change and seasonality, balancing depopulated regions vs. over-tourism, tourism investment in innovative projects and products, technology improvement, etc. Speakers pointed out that some of the strongest innovations evolved from remarkable partnerships with the private sector.
Several tourism ministers from various countries were invited to the high-level seminar (Source: Mountainlikers)
Jordi Torres stated that Andorra hoped to win the Alpine World Ski Championships 2029 bid. To become a better all-season mountain tourism destination, Andorra relied on AI and new technology to help with innovation. Rosana Morillo stated that of the 83 million arrivals to Spain, 11 million came for sports tourism, which generated 17 billion euros. Being a top country for tourism investment, she shared how the Spanish government worked together with the private sector in tourism investment. Italy will host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with a 4-billion-euro economic impact. Italy was looking into how to sustain the long-term benefits of the Games and how tourism development could become a cohesive effort in developing the cities near the mountains.
Encamp's mountain bike trails (Source: Encamp Tourism Office)
The industry is seeking broader partnerships worldwide to achieve sustainability. A joint project between National Geographic and Andorra Tourism to produce a documentary, Andorra al natural, the environment where ideas germinate, was presented by Javier Corso, a Nat Geo explorer. The film addresses Andorra‘s advantages as a sports destination, wellness destination, and premier destination.
Wellness tourism a major opportunity
Tourism and wellness are two multi-trillion-dollar industries. The Global Wellness Institute measured wellness tourism expenditures at $720 billion in 2019, and the sector would continue to accelerate.
Reception held at the ski resort at night (Source: Mountainlikers)
In 2023, the Hilton trends report stated that overall wellness remains a priority for travelers, as 50% of respondents seek travel experiences that align with their wellness goals and priorities, addressing the mind, body, and spirit. It revealed “rest and relaxation” to be a top driver for travel decisions across generations in 2024. A Hilton survey found that “travelers will reduce other areas of personal spending to prioritize... Their No. 1 reason to travel in 2024 will be to rest and recharge, with more emphasis on sleep than ever before.”
Dance performance at the reception (Source: Mountainlikers)
Sleep tourism is emerging, and it’s predicted to expand to $400 billion in the next four years. Hotels move quickly to restructure with new sleep-aide AI tools, beds, massage tools, etc. These specialty suites are selling at premium rates.
Mountains have healing effects, contributing to psychological well-being and general health. Addressing wellness tourism and health tourism, speakers included the Ministry of Tourism of Greece, the European Spas, Health Tourism Worldwide, based in Hungary, the CHENOT GROUP of Switzerland, and Iconic Andorra. Discussions were geared toward the improvement of the added value to visitors’ experiences in the mountain territories.
Caldea, Andorra's spa center, is also the largest spa facility in southern Europe (Source: Haybina Hao)
An Intrepid Travel survey found that the fastest-growing segment for adventure tourism was women aged 45 and older, which grew by 83% yearly, and they wanted soft adventure. This is a huge opportunity for the sector to include the whole wellness journey in product offerings.
Research report to aid the sector
A research report, Understanding and Quantifying Mountain Tourism, released in 2023, was presented by UN Tourism and Pas Grau International (Andorra) representatives. It was jointly developed by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, and the UNWTO.
Encamp's mountain runway (Source: Encamp Tourism Bureau)
The report states that the mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and host about half of the world's biodiversity hot spots. 150 countries identified as mountain destinations as per the existence of mountains account for 87% of international tourist arrivals. “Walking and hiking,” “nature tourism,” and “rural tourism” are the predominant activities in mountain destinations, according to the report survey.
The full report is available for view and download at: https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/epdf/10.18111/97”89284424023
Building human capital
Tourism is a sector of human capital. Focusing on people means focusing on teams, clients, and the communities. Andorra is the host of the UN Tourism Academy, which offers more than 250 programs to over 40 countries. A congress session on education and training hit many key points, including the critical role of equipping human capital with essential knowledge and skills to thrive in a digitalized world; the three-party partnerships with the public sector, private sector, and academia, which drives better data collection and research analysis to provide a better foundation for policy and decision-making. On a personal level, monitoring small progress and engaging in 1% daily enhancement could lead to a major improvement over time.
An AI discussion encouraged the adaptation of the use of AI tools. A nine-element model of "Sustainable Tourism Strategy Powered by AI" was shared with the audience, which includes data centralization, sustainability dashboards, dynamic pricing, etc.
The children's area of the ski resort in the Encamp family (Source: Haybina Hao)
Overall, the congress provided delegates with a full scope of exchange and learning experiences. Through various social events, delegates enjoyed rich learning and networking experiences. Tailor-made tours offered a taste of Encamp’s diverse tourism resources as well as its vibrant business activities carried out in the 12,000-person community. For business practitioners, especially, the takeaways included new ideas and tools for business development.
Here is the congress recording: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=12th+congress+on+snow+and+moutain%2C+wellness+toruism
The 13th World Congress on Snow, Mountain, and Wellness Tourism will be held in 2026 and hosted by parish Ordino.
*About the author: Haybina Hao, Former Vice President of the National Tour Association of the United States (NTA), former Director of Greater China of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), is now a media professional of travel industry, and a special expert of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance.
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen
Editor Ⅱ: Wu Dan
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
