2021 International Mountain Tourism Alliance Annual Conference Kicked Off Online

On December 21, the 2021 International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) Annual Conference kicked off online. Against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic, international organizations, IMTA members, tourism experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from all over the world attended via videoconferencing, about 50 guests were presented at the main venue in Guiyang.

The Conference focused on the theme “How Can International Organizations Play a Leading Role in Global Tourism Recovery and Reshaping Governance”, revolved around the two topics of “Reshaping and Governance of Tourism during the Pandemic” and “Innovative Construction of a Future-oriented International Tourism Organization Cooperation Platform and Mechanism”.

During the Conference, Dominique de Villepin—IMTA Chairman and former French Prime Minister, Shao Qiwei—IMTA Vice Chairman and former China National Tourism Administration(CNTA) Chairman, He Yafei—IMTA Secretary-General and former Vice Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, Tan Jiong—Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Guizhou Province, Francesco Frangialli—Honorary Secretary-General of World Tourism Organization, Julia Simpson—President and CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council, Xu Jing—Former Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO, Dai Bin—President of China Tourism Academy, Wei Xiao’an—Famous Tourism Experts in China, Chen Ping—Global Vice President of the International Organization Für Volkskunst, and Chen Tiejun—Chairman of Hainan Tourism Investment&Development Co., Ltd. and other guests at home and abroad also gave speeches through online or offline.

In line with the post-COVID-19 crisis, we need all together to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by countries and regions around the world in order to find how best it is possible to recover and revitalize tourism. As Mr.Dominique de Villepin—the IMTA Chairman said, we need to keep united. Through this crisis, we see how much we are depending on one another for our common safety and prosperity based on trust and cooperation. This is even more true for international tourism.

At the Conference, the IMTA Mountain Hot Spring Wellness Specialized Committee was unveiled. Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province was determined as the host site for the 2022 “International Mountain Tourism Day”. 8 units including Coastal City Development Group Co., Ltd.(Cambodia), Danish Chinese Tourism & Cultural Exchange Association(Denmark), have officially become members of IMTA.