EDITOR'S NOTE: On May 29 2021, the main activity of the third International Mountain Tourism Day—the World Heritage Famous Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit kicked off in Nanchuan District, Chongqing Municipality, China successfully. Themed with “World Heritage Protection and Green Development of Mountain Tourism”, the Summit got strong support from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), the Internationale Organisation Für Volkskunst (IOV) and the China Association of National Parks and Scenic Sites. The theme forum presented wonderful contents with high-level opinions, frontier observations and dialogues on trends. The speeches will be released in succession to share with industry colleagues.

Dumitru BRAGHIȘ, Moldovan Ambassador to China, delivered a speech at the Summit's Opening Ceremony：

It is a great honor to be here today and make this speech. I would like to thank you all for this high level and excellent organized journey and to mention that the activities and meetings that have been held in these 2 days will be of great use in our further diplomatic activity.

The people of the Republic of Moldova show deep sympathy towards the Chinese people and great admiration towards the accomplishments achieved due to the perseverance and the millennial wisdom. Today's China is a modern state with a successful history in building economical, technical, scientific, cultural and spiritual achievements, which are in harmony with the unique traditions of the ancient Chinese civilization. China is the second economic power of the world and it is an important partner of all countries, including the Republic of Moldova, which is willing to put all the efforts in order to continue to increase the level of bilateral relations with the People's Republic of China.

These results are due to the people and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China which this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of its foundation. Next year, China and Moldova celebrated the 30th anniversary since the establishment of the diplomatic relations. Although 30 years are a very short period of time, all this years are marked by traditional friendship and the will to continue to enhance mutual trust, support each other in development, deepen practical cooperation and jointly build the "Belt and Road”, which creates great opportunities for Moldova and China to explore new fields for cooperation. Moldovan Government strongly supports the “One Belt, One Road”, we believe that it will strengthen the friendship between our two countries and people, as well as will increase the economic and commercial relations to a new qualitative level.

Republic of Moldova is looking forward to use this opportunity to improve the economic relations and attract more Chinese investors and tourists to Moldova. For Moldova, China is a very trusted and reliable partner and we want to continue to develop excellent bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both Moldovan and Chinese people.

Although it has a small area, the Republic of Moldova as a tourist destination has a great potential represented first of all by the geomorphologic aspect of its territory –an unusual diversity of landscape reservations or scenery and unique geological monuments of European and world value. Over the last decade the priority forms of tourism in the Republic of Moldova have been: rural, wine, cultural tourism, health and beauty tourism.

Regarding the topic of the forum I want to mention the following:

In addition to value for present and future generations, World Heritage – and heritage in general – can make also an important instrumental contribution to sustainable development across its various dimensions. Heritage it is crucial importance to societies and the wide acknowledgment of its great potential to contribute to social, economic and environmental goals. Certainly, the protection of exceptional heritage properties cherished by people all over the world – such as great natural sceneries and landmark monuments - can be considered as an intrinsic contribution to human wellbeing. It would be hard to imagine our countries, cities and landscapes without the familiar remnants of our past, a witness to continuity through the passing of time, and the presence of nature, to inspire us with a profound sense of wonder and joy.

Very often, World Heritage is also an important asset for economic development, by attracting investments and ensuring green, locally-based, stable and decent jobs, only some of which may be related to tourism. World Heritage, of course, is also essential to the spiritual wellbeing of people for its powerful symbolic and aesthetic dimensions.

Mountains are crucial for a global green economy and of course for World Heritage. Providing 60–80% of the world’s freshwater resources for domestic, agricultural, and industrial consumption, mountains are a critical driver of food security and clean energy. Mountains also supply important minerals and genetic resources for major food crops; indeed, mountain farming is inherently green thanks to its small scale character and low carbon footprint.

Mountains play a pivotal role in conserving and harnessing biological diversity for a green economy. Mountain regions have a high potential for greening economies within and beyond mountains. In order to make full use of this potential, countries are invited to tap existing international finance mechanisms, to explore partnerships with the private sector, and to prepare green investment plans for mountain regions. Priority areas include green energy with a focus on sustainable hydropower generation; responsible mining and resource extraction; and promotion of small and medium-sized industry, tourism, agriculture, and biodiversity.

Mountain tourism, has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities, its contribution to GDP and job creation. In my opinion specific elements for Mountain Tourism are:

-Integrated management strategies and program design, with natural, cultural, and social components given equal weight with economic benefits.

-Infrastructure development appropriate to fragile mountain environments.

-Equitable distribution of ecotourism benefits and opportunities, including reinvesting tourism revenues into conservation.

-Awareness raising for tourists and local communities.

-Partnerships, and continuing exchange of experience, ideas, learning and best practice.

In conclusion, I would like to express one more time my gratitude to organizers for warm welcome and for the opportunity to participate at this event.