BEIJING, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 23 October 2024 - On September 26, the IMTA Annual Conference 2024opened in Xingyi, Guizhou Province. With the theme of "Inclusiveness, Mutual Learning, Innovation—Empowering Sustainable Mountain Tourism with New Quality Productive Forces", the conference pooled wisdom and strength from across the industry to discuss and share innovative development paths for high-quality and sustainable mountain tourism in the context of the new era, with a particular emphasis on empowering the sector through new productive forces. Empowered by the Time: Mountain Tourism Unveils a new look "The Annual Conference of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) is not only a grand event for our members, but also a significant exchange and cooperation platform for our members and the mountain tourism industry," said Dominique de Villepin, Chairman of the IMTA, in a video message that officially kicked off the event. The development of IMTA has always been closely stuck to the themes of the time and the market demand. With the accelerated recovery of the tourism industry and the proposal and implementation of the concept of "new productive forces ", the principle of "Inclusiveness, Mutual Learning, and Innovation" has become the core driving force behind global sustainable tourism development. Mountain tourism, in particular, is witnessing new growth opportunities, presenting fresh challenges and expectations for the alliance's work. De Villepin emphasized that the year 2024 marks a pivotal transition for the tourism industry from recovery to sustainable prosperity,,as a result, mountain tourism is exhibiting new characteristics: a burgeoning market demand for intelligent tourism, prominent characteristics of leisure tourism, and deep integration that gives birth to new business forms. He suggested that, to confront future transformations and challenges, a multidimensional and in-depth analysis of industry trends is essential to navigating future challenges more effectively. It is imperative for governments, businesses and all walks of life to collaborate in refining policies, improving the environment and enhancing services to address the current challenges and problems faced by international tourism. This aligns with IMTA's initiative in creating international dialogue platforms, such as the IMTA Annual Conference, International Mountain Tourism Day and the Asian Mountain Tourism Promotion Conference. He Yafei, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of IMTA, pointed out that, the data from United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism now) showed that global tourism revenue reached $1.6 trillion in 2023, with international tourist numbers recovering to 90% of 2019. The new era is shaping a fresh landscape of global tourism. IMTA has embraced an open-minded and inclusive approach, promoting mutual learning and respect for diverse civilizations and cultures. By accelerating the integration of culture, education, science, and tourism, the IMTA continues to innovate and drive the sustainable development of new models in global mountain tourism. Over the past year, IMTA has consistently organized mountain tourism-themed activities, creating a robust platform for exploring opportunities and trends in mountain tourism development. These initiatives have facilitated the exchange and cooperation among members, governments, and industry stakeholders, achieving remarkable results that are widely recognized. Pansy Ho, IMTA Vice Chairman, remarked that, the intensification of climate change impacts on the ecological environment, the reorganization of the global supply chain, and the acceleration of technological progress are reshaping people's lifestyles and industrial structures. As a result, promoting the sustainable development of sustainable mountain is not only about discovering new drivers for economic growth, but also about taking on the social responsibility of protecting the ecology, promoting cultural exchanges and boosting the revitalization of local economies. IMTA has upheld the concept of "ecological priority, green development, unity and collaboration, mutual benefit and win-win" since its establishment, leveraging its robust membership network and industry resources to actively promote the innovative use of mountain resources, the preservation of cultural heritage and the development of regional economies, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the global tourism industry.. Ongoing Innovation: IMTA Has Achieved Fruitful Results Fu Yingchun, Vice Chairman and Executive Secretary-General of the IMTA, provided a summary of IMTA's achievements in 2024 and outlined the key objectives for 2025. He noted that under the new development context, IMTA has, since the beginning of this year, capitalized on its professional strengths and platform advantages. By collaborating closely with alliance members and industry partners, IMTA has integrated...