Chongqing – On May 29^th, the World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit was held in Nanchuan District of Chongqing. May 29^th is also International Mountain Tourism Day. The summit was held under the theme of World Heritage Protection and Green Development of Mountain Tourism and the summit focused on the new developments of mountain tourism, aiming to promote the protection and utilization of world heritage sites.

The World Heritage Mountain (Jinfo Mountain) Summit (The Summit) was hosted by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), Chongqing Culture and Tourism Development Committee, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, the Chongqing Sports Bureau, Chongqing Nanchuan District Committee, and Chongqing Nanchuan District People’s Government. The event is further supported by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), International Organization of Folk Art (IOV) and the China Association of Scenic Areas.

An International Event to Gather Efforts to Promote World Heritage Protection

The organizers stated that the summit aims to build a platform for international exchanges and cooperation, to enhance dialogue and communication between major heritage mountains, to discuss the protection and use of mountain-type world heritage, and to promote world heritage mountains with ecological priority, focusing on green and low-carbon developments.

The Summit was attended by representatives from embassies and consulate general’s offices of Moldova, Laos, Peru, Cambodia, Austria, Japan, Ethiopia, Belarus and Hungary among others. Dominique de Villepin, Chairman of the International Mountain Tourism Union, delivered a video congratulatory message via video message and speeches were given by the President and Chairman of the Council of the IUCN, Zhang Xinsheng, The director of WIPO, Liu Hua, the Ambassador of Moldova to China, Dimitru Braghis, as well as representatives from the local governments.

World-famous mountains all over the world are a precious resource, and an important carrier of the world’s natural and cultural heritage, and as such should be fiercely protected. Ecological development, green development, and sustainable tourism developments should be the cornerstone of future mountain tourism developments.

A New Era of Tourism Management and Tourism Revitalization

During the themed forum at the Summit, world heritage representatives from China, Austria, Laos, and Peru, as well as 9 top experts and scholars from home and abroad, gave keynote speeches. Among them, He Yafei, Secretary-General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance gave a presentation on the “New Era Tourism Management and Mountain Tourism Revitalization”. Zhang Xingyi, representative of the Jinfo Mountain World Heritage Site, Deputy Secretary of the Nanchuan District Committee and District Governor, gave a presentation on "Guardian of the Jinfo Mountain Natural Heritage", and Gao Ning, an expert from the International Mountain Tourism Alliance Expert Committee, shared the International Mountain Hiking Guide online.

This summit reflects the highlights of pragmatic cooperation, mutual benefit and mutual assistance, co-construction, and sharing. The People's Government of Nanchuan District and Chongqing Tourism Investment Group Co., Ltd. signed a formal cooperation agreement on the implementation of the reform of Jinfo's tourism management system. The two parties hope to establish a strategic cooperative relationship, share resources, policies, and platforms, focus on the "Golden" content of Jinfo Mountain, give play to the core effect of Jinfo Mountain, promote the speed and quality of tourism in Jinfo Mountain, and achieve a win-win development for both parties.