On may 29, He Yafei, Secretary-General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance(IMTA) delivered a keynote speech entitled "How Can Mountain Tourism Help Recover Economy after the COVID-19 Pandemic"at the 2020 International Mountain Tourism Day Online Forum.
Mr. He Yafei pointed out that "The post-pandemic world will go through a rebirth. It will be a brand new world. Globalization will be redefined and so will mountain tourism." He noted that we are standing at a new starting point, facing new circumstances and new demands. As the only international non-governmental organization in the field of mountain tourism, the IMTA is willing to cooperate actively with other international and domestic organizations and mountain tourism practitioners to expand their ways of thinking, promote the innovative concept of "mountain tourism +", and develop new projects and experiences of mountain tourism with positive image, diversity, localization, flexibility and closeness to life and nature.
In addition, he also pointed out that in the post-pandemic era, the expectations of tourists for mountain tourism have gradually increased, and we should actively carry out the supply-side reform of mountain tourism projects, provide more new types of tourism projects, adjust various industries attached to mountain tourism with a new perspective, and propose a variety of customized mountain tourism projects with different contents and methods according to the needs of different groups of people and characteristics of tourists.
The following is the full text of the speech:
Distinguished guests and friends, on behalf of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), allow me to warmly welcome you to the "May 29th International Mountain Tourism Day" Online Event.
These past few months, the global COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on all countries. It has infected millions of people and has taken hundreds of thousands of lives. Meanwhile, the world economy is suffering an unprecedented blow. Exchanges and travel between countries are at a halt, society has shut down, global supply chains are disconnected. The future of globalization, world politics, and the global economy is unpredictable. In April, the IMF predicted negative growth of 3% for the world economy in 2020. Tourism has been hit hardest by the pandemic in all countries. It's pretty much undergoing a full-scale collapse. Data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the month of May suggest that the outbreak has led to a 22% drop in international tourists in the first quarter of 2020. The numbers for this year's remaining quarters may fall as well. At the same time, countries are also suffering huge declines in the scale of domestic tourists. The number of international tourists for the whole year is predicted to drop by 60% to 80%. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) forecasts that the outbreak will put 50 million tourism workers out of work globally, 12% to 14% of total world tourism employment. Through the joint efforts of the world's countries, progress has been made in prevention and control of the outbreak as well as in the formulation of a vaccine. When the pandemic will end cannot yet be predicted. But the fight against it must still go on worldwide while reopening the economy, resuming production and revitalising society is already a top priority for all countries.
At this critical juncture, the IMTA wishes to use the platform of May 29th International Mountain Tourism Day to connect with you during these unconventional circumstances and share opinions on how mountain tourism can accelerate economic recovery and contribute to societal revitalization and find insightful thoughts and approaches.
In the face of such a major international challenge, all nations need to work together and rise to challenges. No single nation can stand alone. Mountain tourism is an important pillar of global tourism. We shoulder major responsibilities, and as an international organisation, IMTA bears the brunt of them. We have hope and confidence that making full use of the advantages of mountain tourism can overcome obstacles in the post-pandemic era. While ensuring the health and safety of the people, we will seek to reenliven mountain tourism and thus make a contribution to an all-round resuscitation of economic and social growth. Honored guests, I would like to share with you some thoughts and suggestions.
First, about tapping into the advantages of mountain tourism to become a pioneer in the recovery of the tourism economy. We say pioneer because mountain tourism is best characterised by a pleasant ecological environment and cultural diversity. It has comparatively strong adaptability and flexibility to meet people's demand for healthy and green eco-tourism. As the saying goes, there are no two leaves exactly alike in the world. Mountains, forests and rivers around the world are each unique in their own way. This fits well with people's post-pandemic aspirations for a life that encompasses health, wellness , exercise and meditation and satisfies their quest for a stronger physique and immunity as well as an enjoyable life. IMTA wishes to work actively with other international and national organisations and mountain tourism professionals to explore options, tap potential and innovate on the concept of "Mountain Tourism Plus". Mountain tourism plus health, wellness, exercise, meditation, etc. Develop new ideas and new models centered on this concept, to give birth to more localised, softer, closer-to-life and nature-integrated tourism sites.
Second we must adapt to a post-pandemic situation in which restrictions on the movement of people are gradually lifted and tourists' expectations of mountain tourism gradually increase. We should work actively on the supply-side reform of the mountain tourism project, which means providing more tourism projects of new types, and with new perspective to adjust mountain tourism and the many industries associated with it. We need to meet the needs of different groups of people including the elderly, middle-aged and young and the characteristics of tourists with economy tour packages of one to three hours. We should propose customised mountain tourism excursions with a variety of content and programs. From the perspective of mountain tourism, we also need to put forward new requirements for B&Bs and provide guidance for mountain tourism professionals to make the necessary adjustments. As we advance in age for instance, our requirement for fitness and healthcare becomes more pressing. Therefore, through the combination of the various aspects unique to local mountain tourism the implementation of a national development strategy which covers green agriculture, rural revitalisation, and poverty alleviation and reduction and the integration of resources in medicine, sports, 5G, artificial intelligence, etc, we plan to develop mountain tourism sites related to health therapies, meditation,recreation and sports. This way, tourism can be restored rapidly and the recovery and development of related industries can also be pushed forward. Moreover, this will provide a new impetus to world economic growth.
Third, the development of mountain tourism needs to be adapted to harmony among and coexistence of humans and nature the environment and the biosphere. The outbreak of COVID-19 is surely a wake-up call for people around the world. In other words, the harmony between us and nature and our coexistence with the biosphere is of great importance. The balance must not be broken. Therefore, in the future when considering boosting the tourism industry, we should attach great importance to the harmonious relation between humans and nature, including but not limited to protecting biodiversity and paying full attention to climate change. Our awareness in this regard must be deepened. The natural environment and the biodiversity of mountain tourism are among the richest on land. But of course these resources are very fragile and have limited capacity. Therefore, under the influence of these factors when planning the development of mountain tourism we need to fully consider the following two aspects: Firstly people's pursuit of a better life, and secondly, the sustainable development and capacity of the natural environment and biosphere. We need to reach out to nature, understand it, be part of it and more importantly respect and protect it.
Finally number four: The mountain tourism community includes not only large companies five-star hotels and National AAAAA level tourist attractions, but also a lot of small enterprises, self-employed tourism workers, scattered B&B accommodations and small-scale projects with unique characters and cultural richness. The post-pandemic period presents great opportunities for mountain tourism. It's an opportune time for its development. IMTA will work jointly with other organizations, companies and individuals, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises and individual tourism professionals because they are the biggest victims of the pandemic. We need to strengthen the specialisation of mountain tourism and the interconnection between upstream downstream and horizontal businesses. International and domestic development of mountain tourism should be pushed forward at the same pace. We aim to create more positive images and diverse content and meet the needs of all groups of people, thereby establishing new projects, experiences and programs.
Distinguished guests and friends, the post-pandemic era is a time for the world to regenerate. It will bring a brand-new world where globalisation will be redefined and so will mountain tourism. Facing a new environment and new demands, we will embrace new beginnings. IMTA, as the one and only International non-governmental organisation in this field, will do everything in our power to press ahead proactively.
Thank you!