On May 29th, the Ambassador for Moldova to China, Mr. Dumitru Braghis attended the World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit held in Nanchuan District of Chongqing. While giving an interview during the summit, Mr. Braghis shared his thoughts on how the global tourism industry can recover after Covid-19.

Ambassador for Moldova to China attending the World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit in Nanchuan on May 29th (iChongqing/Mikkel Larsen)

I am sure that in the nearest future we will be able to say that we are free of COVID.

When asked about his thoughts on the recovery of the global tourism sector, the Ambassador said “You know, diseases like Covid come and go. And Finally, I am sure that in the nearest future, we will be able to say that we are free of COVID.” Mr. Braghis went on to say that he believes mountain tourism to be able to play a role in recovering from the pandemic, which is why attending a summit such as the World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit, is so important. It allows us to find out what could be done, what must be done. Because of the focus on health, the weather and climate, and the fresh air, mountain tourism could play an important role in fighting, and recovering from, the pandemic.

When asked about how his home country of Moldova can help build the exchange and cooperation platform envisioned by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, Mr. Braghis mentioned the opportunities to send Moldovan citizens to Nanchuan to experience the mountains and their beauty, and the possibilities for Chinese tourists to come to Moldova and experience the wince culture, of which China is a big importer.

“Moldova does not have any mountains, but we are situated close to the Carpathian Mountains, and in this area, I think we can help develop a few areas of cooperation. The first is to bring visitors from Moldova to the Chinese mountains, to see the Chinese culture, to better understand Chinese life, and enjoy these general tourism activities. Secondly, … we have developed our wine tourism over the last few years, and why not combine these two kinds of tourism and make a common program with Moldova”.

Ambassador for Moldova to China attending the World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit in Nanchuan on May 29th (iChongqing/Mikkel Larsen)

The Chinese People succeeded to fight COVID, and this is a good result for the people of China and the Communist Party of China.

Looking at the biggest challenges ahead for global tourism, the focus still remains on the pandemic.

Mr. Braghis said that the pandemic is of course a problem not just for tourism but for all sectors. The Chinese People succeeded to fight COVID, and this is a good result for the people of China and the Communist Party of China. “You know, humanity, I think, is impossible to stop. People are interested and eager to know each other, to discover new places, new arts, new museums, and everything. And in this case, even COVID cannot stop this”.

Also, the situation with many of our famous mountains is not as good as it was 30-40 years ago. We have to think seriously about investing in recovering mountain tourism, and the recovery of the mountains in general. We have to think about different projects to help the population that lives in the mountains to have jobs. In some countries, and for some people, mountain tourism is the only way for those living in the mountains to earn a decent income. And we shouldn’t forget, the mountains themselves are looking for our attention.

“But what I’ve seen already, I think it is a good method of promoting and developing the mountain and the tourism in this region of China. And this is a good result of the work that is being done by the local government and the companies, such as the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, involved. And I think this can set a good example for how to organize and develop mountain tourism.”