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.

Cai Yunge, Deputy Mayor of Chongqing Municipal People's Government, delivered an address at the Summit's Opening Ceremony:

Today, we gather together in Nanchuan at the International Mountain Tourism Day 2021 World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit, to discuss the theme of “World Heritage Protection and Green Development of Mountain Tourism”. On behalf of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, I hereby send my congratulations to all of you for making this event a huge success, express my sincere welcome to all the officials and guests present, and extend my heartfelt thanks to friends from all walks of life for your concern and support to the tourism sector in Chongqing Municipality.

Chongqing is a unique city, where 76 percent of the city is composed of mountains and hills. Chongqing boasts profuse tourism resources, as well as magnificent views such as the Three Gorges along the Yangtze River, world natural heritage—Jinfo Mountain, Wulong Karst, and world cultural heritage—Dazu Rock Carvings. Chongqing is also a city of famous history and culture. With a written history of over 3,000 years, this city is the cradle of the Bayu Culture. The foundation of both nature and history bestows profound beauty upon this land. The phrase “city, mountains and lakes are intertwined with one another” best describes the vivid image of Chongqing, and “one can overlook mountains, appreciate lakes, and be nostalgic” best depicts the unique charm of this city. Thanks to the three-dimensional mountain landform and the diverse mountain weather conditions, Chongqing is sound in ecological environment, profuse in natural resources, and solid in industrial foundation. We have 85 forest eco-parks, 26 wetland parks, and over 30 forest oxygen bars above city level. In general, Chongqing is excellent in air quality and ecological environment, enjoys a comprehensive wellness condition for “escaping heat, chill, and smog,” and boasts natural advantages in developing mountain tourism in an all-round way.

Red Leaves Over the Three Gorges /Sun Chuanjie

President Xi pointed out that tourism is a significant channel of communication between different countries and cultures, an effective tool of creating economic growth and jobs, and an important industry and index to improve people’s lives. His words pave the way ahead for our work. Chongqing sticks to tourism development as an effective method to put President Xi’s concept of “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets”, the guidance of “Promoting Well-coordinated Environmental Conservation and Avoiding Excessive Development,” and the policy of “Prioritizing Ecological Conservation and Boosting Green Development” into practice. In addition, we aim to build an in-land open highland, make our city a place of beautiful mountains and rivers, and facilitate high-quality production and lifestyle via tourism. To be specific, we plan to promote structural reform in the supply side of tourism, focus on creating tourism brands like great metropolis, great three gorges, and great Wuling District, in a bid to further upgrade local tourism to build the city into a world-renowned tourist destination. In 2020, A-level tourist attractions in Chongqing welcomed 160 million visitors, reaped 97.918 billion yuan of added value, accounting for 3.9 percent of Chongqing’s GDP. During the Labor Day holiday this year, Chongqing received 10.198 million visitors—a year-on-year growth of 146 percent, and 10.4 percent more than the number in 2019 on comparable basis, making Chongqing one of China’s most popular tourist cities.

Dear friends, the city of Chongqing enjoys beauty that no words can describe. But these unique tourism resources must be well developed, preserved, and exploited. IMTA, as an influential international organization in world mountain tourism, plays a positive leading part in seeking to protect mountain resources, preserving mountain civilization, and promoting mountain economy to the benefit of the people living in mountainous regions. So, with this summit as a great opportunity, we hope to listen to everyone’s opinion and advice, and put everyone’s outstanding experience and achievements in exploiting mountain tourism into practice in this city. For that, we plan to, via systematic preservation and development, build unique and leading mountain tourism brands. At the same time, we hope everyone can introduce Chongqing’s tourism resources to the whole world, improve the reputation of Chongqing’s beautiful mountains and rivers, and attract more visitors here to enjoy “A Tour in Chongqing, A Gain in Vision”, to appreciate the lovely views and fair cultures, and to experience the happy local life. In doing so, we strive to help Chongqing—“A Land of Natural Beauty, A City with Cultural Appeal”—stand out even more, and share the achievements of Chongqing’s tourism sector with everyone else.

Last, I wish the International Mountain Tourism Day 2021 World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit a complete success, and wish all the officials and guests present good health and success in work.