Annual mountain tourism conference commences in Guiyang

The 2020 Annual Conference of International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) is now underway in Guiyang, the capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province. The event runs on Nov 17-19.

The conference focuses on international mountain tourism development during the post-pandemic era and invites guests to discuss different approaches for revitalizing mountain tourism.

IMTA is a non-government and non-profit international organization headquartered in Guiyang, intending to protect mountain resources, promote the mountain economy and benefit people in mountainous areas.

In 2020, 26 organizations from six countries became members of IMTA, bring the total membership of IMTA to181.

Chen Dehai, secretary-general of ASEAN-China Center, addressed the opening ceremony on Nov 18, stating that the global tourism industry has achieved progress in recovering from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Chen said that the center hoped to enhance its cooperation with Guizhou on culture, tourism, education and technology through the conference and jointly overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Gloria Guevara, CEO and president of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), attended the opening ceremony via video and introduced the tourism industry's role in the world economy.

According to Guevara, China's responses to the pandemic led to a quick economic recovery and lowered the unemployment rate. The latest statistics show that 142 million people in the world are unemployed due to the disease outbreak, and the number will increase to 174 million by the end of this year.

The conference will hold award ceremonies, forums, exhibitions and other activities over the three days.

People interested in mountain tourism can watch the conference via livestream on major media platforms such as Sina, Facebook and Twitter.