On November 17th-19th, the 2020 International Mountain Tourism Alliance Annual Conference opened in Guiyang. The Conference is concentrated on the theme of "The Path of Mountain Tourism Development in the Post-COVID World". During the annual conference, the participants focused on this major topic, and discuss depth in how to promote the revitalization and quality of mountain tourism after the pandemic, and provide thoughts guidance and practice support for global mountain tourism management and promotion of global tourism industry.
This Annual Conference is hosted by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance. UNWTO, WTTC, PATA, GTEF, WTA, WTCF, ASEAN-China Centre, WCCO and other well-know international organizations and associations provided powerful support.
2020"Dialogue among Famous Mountains in the World"
Topic 1:Propects of Sustainable Tourism for World-Famous Mountains in the Post-COVID World
Dialogue
The Host of 2020 “Dialogue among Famous Mountains in the World”
Emma Chen，Global Vice President of the Internationale Organisation Für Volkskunst (IOV)
President Emma Chen(Host): Let's invite Feng Jinsong, Chairman and General Manager of Henan Yuntai Mountain Tourism Co., Ltd. to introduce the efforts made by them to promote sustainable and high quality tourism after the pandemic.
Feng Jinsong (Chairman and General Manager of Henan Yuntai Mountain Tourism Co., Ltd.): 2020 is destined to be an extraordinary year. In the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Cultural and Tourism industry is facing unprecedented difficulties. In accordance with the requirements of superiors, we comprehensively speed up the resumption of work and production while taking good care of the pandemic prevention and control.
First, unswervingly taking high-quality service as the "symbol point" for achieving high-quality development. Continue to deepen the service concept of "moving every tourist ", with off-line and on-line service.
Second, unswervingly taking market recovery as the "starting point" for achieving high-quality development.
Third, unswervingly taking market development as the "tipping point" to achieve high-quality development. Focus on creating Yuntai Mountain Music Festival, Yuntai Mountain Tourism Festival, Yuntai Mountain International Marathon and a series of activities, with widely praised.
Fourth, unswervingly taking project construction as the "breakthrough point" to achieve high-quality development. Focusing on the new consumption needs of tourists, 16 "cloud series projects" with a total investment of 20 billion yuan covering 4 categories including leisure and vacation, interactive experience, homestay culture and parent-child research have been planned.
In the next step, Yuntai Mountain will use an international mindset and a global perspective, centering on the essential connotation of mountain tourism— “close to nature and focus on health”, and increase cross-border integration with cultural communication, sports, ecological environment and other fields. We would target the young customers and the middle-class consumer group to launch more mountain tourism products that integrate experience, excitement and novelty. Taking advantage of the trend and working hard to create a first-class national and world-renowned mountain tourism destination!
President Emma Chen(Host): Ms Hong, please introduce the achievements and measures of Moganshan International Tourist Resort in recent years, and how to carry out sustainable development in the future?
Hong Yanyan(Deputy County Mayor of Deqing County, Director of Moganshan Internationa Tourist Resort Management Committee, Huzhou, Zhejiang ): According to data from Mafengwo, Deqing, where Mogan Mountain is located, ranked No.1 among the most searched rural tourism B&Bs destinations during the May Day holiday. We can develop in this way, there are the following four points.
First, protection and safety are prerequisites. Moganshan is the explorer, practitioner, and beneficiary of the concept of "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" proposed by the General Secretary Xi. We have realized the change of the beautiful environment into a beautiful economy. At the same time, we have also carried out a lot of planning for orderly development. We believe that safety is the most important thing. There are many new forms of mountain tourism, such as glass plank roads, hot air balloons, etc. In fact, there are no very clear laws and regulations in China, and there are no very clear standards on how to supervise them. Therefore, in this case, our Huzhou City first published the "Huzhou Rural Tourism Regulations", in the form of human legislation to clarify the management responsibilities of each department.
Second, policy support is a guarantee. Various cities in Zhejiang Province have published supporting policies. The government has used real money to leverage the market to break the initial peak period for enterprises. At the same time, the government vigorously promotes Deqing therapy recuperation products.
Third, talent and industry are very important. We have all kinds of talents, including returnees, talents who have graduated from large companies and famous schools and returned to local rural tourism, and there are also talents from local college students who return to their hometowns to start businesses. Mountain tourism rural tourism will have the greatest vitality and after young people returned.
Fourth, market integration and development are the most critical. From the perspective of resort development, we will continue to be guided by innovation and integration, promote the "tourism +" industry linkage, and vigorously promote the integrated development of cultural tourism, sports tourism, and agricultural tourism. We should advocate the "homestay +" in the term of “joint space”, encourage the themed development of homestays, and introduce different themed homestays, such as calligraphy, parent-child fun, outdoor sports, mountain life, and gourmet dining. In addition ,we should encourage the "talent +" in terms of creative combination, create excellence and strive for excellence,focus on talents, carry out standards and train output, to realize that homestays are originated from accommodation, but are not only the accommodation.
"The green hills will not change, the green water will flow", Moganshan will continue to explore and practice on the road of sustainable tourism development, and strive to create a world-class mountain resort model.
President Emma Chen(Host):We have been talking about the “hard tourism”. The so-called “hard tourism” is the mountains and water that nature gives us. I hope that “soft culture”, such as local folk customs, folk dances, national dramas and even a kind of festivals, can be added to the tourism for young people in the tourism projects, to form a kind of knowledge transmission. Cultural inheritance is actually In the absence of words, the development of the “soft power” of mountain tourism is also very important.
Hong Yanyan(Deputy County Mayor of Deqing County, Director of Moganshan Internationa Tourist Resort Management Committee, Huzhou, Zhejiang ): We have also mentioned the cultural “soft power”. For the events we did this summer, we built some cultural auditoriums and integrated them well with tourism, because every place has immaterial and handicrafts. As long as there are tourists coming during this time, we will open it for free. We invite our inheritors of intangible culture to teach them these intangible cultures. I think these are the “soft tourism” methods you talk about. We are also trying this.
President Emma Chen(Host): Changbai Mountain is one of China’s top 10 famous mountains and one of China first batch of national 5A scenic spots. Please introduce how Changbai Mountain promoted tourism development after the pandemic?
Geng Deyong(Director of Tourism, Culture and Sports Bureau of Changbai Mountain Management Committee): Changbai Mountain, like other scenic spots across the country, had to press the "pause button" because of the pandemic, but it has also exploring the development of modern mountain tourism. We mainly have the following two aspects.
First, the faith. Looking back to the entire period of pandemic, Changbai Mountain deployed high-level pandemic prevention work, implemented various measures with high standards during the pandemic, and promoted high-quality prevention & control and tourism recovery under the new normal of the pandemic. Up to now, Changbai Mountain is still in the "double zero" state under the pandemic, with zero confirmed cases and zero suspects. On the other hand, during the pandemic, Changbai Mountain has published supportive policy. Such as issuing 15 million consumer vouchers, supporting cultural and tourism enterprises, stimulating cultural and tourism consumption, and injecting a shot in the heart to restore tourism confidence.
The second one is about brands. Through the pandemic, the trends and ways of people traveling has been changed. In recent years, Changbai Mountain has explored the all-for-one tourism development model and promoted the diversified development of the tourism industry. There are many highlights in "Tourism+". Changbai Mountain locks on the theme of "22 Degrees Cool Summer Meeting" and "12 Degrees Powder Snow Warm Meeting". Relying on characteristic resources, it will continue to expand and strengthen the two major brands of "Mountain Summer Tourism" and "Cold Ice snow Tourism". This one-trip "fast food check-in" is transformed into an in-depth cultural experience and consumer experience that realize the transition from "coming in a hurry" to "walking slowly".
President Emma Chen(Host): Mr. Gwassa, please talk about the current situation and challenges of Kilimanjaro National Park, as well as some thoughts on recovery and sustainable development after the pandemic.
Lusekelo S. Gwassa(Culture and Tourism counselor of Tanzania Embassy in China，Representative of Kilimanjaro National Park): This year, because of COVID-19, the tourism has been hardly hit. So the economy has been hard hit. We will continue to see the impact of COVID-19. So a lot of people have lost their jobs because of COVID-19, but the government didn’t stay idle. The government did something, through the cooperation, the government of Tanzania with stakeholders, they form sort of a standard, you know, procedure to combat.
Because of the first event of COVID-19 in Tanzania was due to tourism. The first victims were tourists.So that’s why the government waked up from this standard procedures together with the local stakeholders. So that whoever comes, should follow that. So they suggested basic testing, wearing masks, sanitation and goggles. Those procedures is not just for tourists. They are for the airport staffs, the site workers, those drivers, everybody.
President Emma Chen(Host): Do you have a plan to recover the country. You said before, the GDP, you were only the tourism is only 15 percent? So how do you support from the government for this?
Lusekelo S. Gwassa(Culture and Tourism counselor of Tanzania Embassy in China，Representative of Kilimanjaro National Park): We know that China is a potential market and they go there. They have their own culture and their own way of doing it. Like, they would like to go like using one plane, a direct flight. We have our own carrier, which will sign the contract with the local. So we will continue to promote while we’re putting the safety measures at the local level.
President Emma Chen(Host): What is your plan for the future cooperation with the IMTA? Do you have any suggestion to the IMTA?
Feng Jinsong (Chairman and General Manager of Henan Yuntai Mountain Tourism Co., Ltd.): I hope IMTA will really have a trip to our site and give us more detailed guidelines and introduction.
Hong Yanyan(Deputy County Mayor of Deqing County, Director of Moganshan Internationa Tourist Resort Management Committee, Huzhou, Zhejiang ): We are still very grateful to the International Mountain Tourism Alliance. Huzhou is a new member of IMTA. We will definitely contribute our greatest strength to promote the development of mountain tourism. Finally, I would like to invite all the leaders and comrades present here to come to Huzhou to see the Beautiful China, and to Moganshan to create our beautiful life together.
Geng Deyong(Director of Tourism, Culture and Sports Bureau of Changbai Mountain Management Committee ): I sincerely thank the International Mountain Tourism Alliance for its efforts and contributions in the recovery of mountain tourism and the development of mountain tourism. In 2018 to 2019, China has one of the top three, snowing and skating resorts in Jilin which are around Changbai Mountain. If IMTA have a session for this sector, please take the Changbai mountain as consideration.
Lusekelo S. Gwassa(Culture and Tourism counselor of Tanzania Embassy in China，Representative of Kilimanjaro National Park): In terms of the mountain tourism of Kilimanjaro, the site visits possession, we think that the research department of IMTA can help, and come up with a solution to solve the problems which are existing. Like, one hundred years, the mountain has a glacier on the top. So one hundred years ago, it covered 11 kilometers. I’m saying the coverage was 11 square kilometers but now it’s only 1.7 square kilometers. We would like to know why it’s happening. Whether it’s global warming so we should have a solution for that.
