Editor’s Note

On 29 May, the 2022 International Mountain Tourism Day theme event was held online and themed on “Mountain Tourism Promotes Healthy Life and Cultural Exchange”. The event motivated the New Media network, connected IMTA members, destination agencies, enterprises, and experts from all over the world, and carried out “cloud communication, dialogue, and presentation” around three chapters — “Focus · Mountain”, “Health · Life”, and “Civilization · Communication”. Against the complex global landscape and threat from COVID-19, the event helps create a healthier and more positive atmosphere and market for mountain tourism, promote cultural exchange, friendly communication, and mutual integration among countries, to jointly prepare, build, and share a bright future of mountain tourism. At the event, the International Mountain Tourism Alliance cooperated with its members and industry organizations from 5 continents, more than 30 countries to carry out a variety of activities to show the difference mountain tourism features and jointly celebrated the arrival of the International Mountain Tourism Day.

Asian Union of Speleology：Celebration of 2022 International Mountain Tourism Day

It is a big cave. So, I will say something. I wish we will have enjoyable days in May through mountain tourism.

What I am doing is mountain tourism. It is caving, it is mountaineering in opposite direction. Why go caving? Caving certainly first for pleasure. But the best reason for caving is that as the global community shrinks, every corner of our planet has been mapped by satellite. So, anyone who would like to find new land, there are only three choices to be left, flying into space, diving into deep ocean, or go caving.

Go caving is a light way to have more exciting discoveries underground in this world. Mountaineers climb by walking sticks, we use this rope. We call it “single rope technique”, we call ourselves cavers. Those who study caves are speleologists.

Asian Union of Speleology is an organization for all cavers and speleologists around Asian countries. It is a member of IMTA. I wish, I hope, we will have nice cooperation in the future to help with mountain tourism in Karst regions of Asian countries.

There are lots of secrets underground to be discovered, go caving is a wonderful way for our healthy life and civilization exchange. Let’s go! We will go caving for more discoveries.