Editor's Note: On November 11, the International Conference of Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports (MTOS) 2025 commenced in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province. With the continued theme "Integration of Culture, Tourism and Sports Presents a High Quality Life," this year's Conference featured a series of events including the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) Annual Conference 2025, the International Mountain Tourism Promotion Conference 2025, a Field Trip to Guizhou Mountain Tourism Destinations, and the Bank of Guizhou·Mountain Culture, Tourism and Outdoor Sport Equipment Exhibition. Over 350 participants gathered, including representatives from international organizations, government and tourism departments of relevant countries, diplomatic missions in China, tourism-related enterprises, mountain tourism destination management agencies, experts, scholars, and media from more than 30 countries and regions. They explored new pathways for the integrated development of "Mountain Tourism +", shared new achievements in mountain tourism development, and worked together to build a prosperous new future for mountain tourism. Lu Yongzheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guizhou Provincial Committee, Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee, delivered the opening address for the Conference.
The following is the full text of the speech:
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good day! It gives me great pleasure to gather here in Colorful Guizhou and Cool Guiyang to attend the 2025 Annual Conference of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA). On behalf of the initiators of the Alliance, I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the opening of this annual conference, pay high tribute to all our new and old friends who are committed to the development of international mountain tourism, and express my sincere gratitude to people from all walks of life who care about and support the development of Guizhou!
Tourism serves as a bridge for spreading civilization, exchanging cultures and enhancing friendships. It is also a prosperous industry that benefits and enriches people while bringing them joy. President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to and holds high expectations for Guizhou's tourism development. When he inspected Guizhou in March this year, he instructed us to diversify tourism formats, improve service quality, and build a new cultural and tourism brand of "Colorful Guizhou". In recent years, Guizhou has resolutely implemented the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important instructions on the province's cultural and tourism work. Adhering to the integration of culture and tourism as the foundation and the integration of culture and technology as the direction, Guizhou has strived to break new ground amid the changes brought by the pandemic and take the lead in the new round of development. Focusing on the three core elements of resources, tourists and services, the province has promoted the industrialization of tourism, built world-class tourist attractions and first-class tourist cities, and strived to develop itself into a world-class tourist destination. Its cultural and tourism industry has been accelerating its transformation from a large-scale sector to a high-quality one, showing a sound development momentum. Notably, Guizhou has moved beyond simply providing pleasant travel experiences to creating a comfortable living environment for visitors and locals alike. In 2024, the number of tourists received and the total tourism revenue in Guizhou increased by 25.8% and 35.1% respectively compared with those in 2019 before the pandemic, fully demonstrating the strong resilience and enormous potential of Guizhou's tourism industry.
Leveraging its unique mountain resources and booming development practices, Guizhou took the lead in establishing the International Mountain Tourism Alliance in 2017. Over the past eight years, rooted in Guizhou and serving the global community, the Alliance has expanded its membership steadily. It has released a series of standards including the Evaluation Criteria for World - renowned Tourist Mountains and the Guidelines for International Mountain Hiking Tourism, and launched signature events such as the International Mountain Tourism Day and the Dialogue on World - renowned Mountains. Gradually, the Alliance has become a powerful link connecting global mountain tourism resources, a dynamic force driving industrial upgrading, and an important platform for promoting exchanges and mutual learning, with its influence and recognition growing increasingly worldwide.
At present, mountain tourism is entering a new stage featuring diversified and high-quality development, and innovation has increasingly become the core engine driving industrial upgrading. Looking ahead, we are willing to work with the Alliance and all stakeholders to build a new highland for mountain tourism cooperation. First, we will deepen exchanges and cooperation between Guizhou and various parties through the Alliance platform, and build a community for mountain tourism development characterized by resource sharing, tourist mutual referral and win-win outcomes. Second, we will foster new drivers for mountain tourism development. Following the global wave of digitalization, we will take advantage of Guizhou's strength in the big data industry, empower the sector with technology to create new formats, products and models of mountain tourism, and inject new vitality into industrial development. Third, we will jointly formulate new industry standards for mountain tourism. Combining the Alliance's professional expertise with Guizhou's practical experience, we will actively promote the formulation and promotion of standards for the protection, development and utilization of mountain tourism resources, guiding mountain tourism onto a more standardized, safe, efficient and green development path. Fourth, we will create a new picture of mountain tourism benefiting the people. Adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, we will promote the co-construction and sharing of mountain tourism communities, ensure that the fruits of development benefit more people, and contribute to rural revitalization and coordinated regional development through tourism.
Dear friends, mountain resources are the common wealth of humanity, and the development of mountain tourism is vital to the well-being of future generations. Guizhou will, as always, spare no effort to support the growth and development of the Alliance. We look forward to working hand in hand with all parties, taking mountains as a bond and treating each other with sincerity to jointly explore a new future of high-quality development for mountain tourism.
Finally, I wish this conference a complete success! Thank you all!
Image and text source: IMTA
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen
Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
