As global tourism accelerates its green transition and traveler demand for eco-experiences and healthy lifestyles continues to grow, the International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 is scheduled to open on 29 May in Shennongjia Forestry District, Hubei Province. With the theme "Preserving World Heritage, Sharing the Prosperity of Famous Mountains — Zhiyin Hubei, Mysterious Shennongjia", the International Mountain Tourism Day Theme Events will bring together international organizations, national cultural and tourism bodies, members of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), experts and scholars, and industry leaders. United by mountains and bound by a shared commitment to sustainability, participants will explore how environmental protection and economic development can flourish together, advancing the protection and use of World Heritage sites.

Gathering in Shennongjia for the International Mountain Tourism Celebration

This event is organized by IMTA, and carried out jointly by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hubei Province, the Shennongjia Forestry District People's Government, Hubei Cultural Tourism Group, and the IMTA Secretariat, with support from international organizations, including UN Tourism, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the World Tourism Alliance, the World Tourism Cities Federation, the ASEAN - China Centre, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and the Global Tourism Economy Forum.

The Shennong Altar Scenic Area in Hubei Province, China
Image source: Zheng Yaoming/Shennongjia Forestry Tourism Bureau

The program features the opening ceremony and the Dialogue among World Famous Mountains 2026 as its main part, complemented by the “Shenwuxia” International Eco-Cultural Tourism Corridor Development and Hubei Inbound Tourism Exchange, the Mountain Culture and Tourism Exhibition, IMTA Night of Shennongjia, the Investment and Business Meeting for Mountain Culture and Tourism, and Site Inspection Tours: Mountain Tourism Development.

The opening ceremony will feature addresses by senior officials and representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, IMTA, Hubei provincial institutions, international organizations, as well as foreign embassies and consulates in China. The Shennongjia Declaration will be released, and newly certificated “World Famous Tourism Mountains” will be officially issued. Annapurna of Himalayas, the "Roof of the World" and Shennongjia, the "Roof of Central China", will be formally established as sister mountains.

Mount Annapurna, Nepal
Image source: Tuchong

Themed "Ecological Conservation and Pathways for Innovative Development of Famous Tourism Mountains", the Dialogue among World Famous Mountains 2026 will bring together mountain management bodies from China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and beyond to share best practices in sustainable development of World Heritage sites. A roundtable dialogue featuring experts from PATA, the International Tourism Studies Association, MPS of FAO, World Animal Protection, and ICIMOD will explore how to strike a balance between tourism development and ecological conservation.

Mount Fitz Roy, Argentina
Image source: Tuchong 

There is a rich array of supporting events. The Investment and Business Meeting for Mountain Culture and Tourism, the “Shenwuxia” International Eco-Cultural Tourism Corridor Development and Hubei Inbound Tourism Exchange, IMTA Night of Shennongjia, Cultural Performance: The Mysterious Shennongjia, and Site Inspection Tours: Mountain Tourism Development will foster deeper engagement. These experiences will immerse guests in Shennongjia's distinctive mountain culture and heritage, offering participants a multi-dimensional journey.

Building a Shared Future: A New Chapter in Mountain Tourism Cooperation

International Mountain Tourism Day was established by IMTA to commemorate 29 May, the date of humanity's first successful ascent of Mount Everest. Since its inception in 2018, seven editions have been held in China, Nepal, Laos, France, Spain, and beyond. Each gathering has drawn wide industry attention through its distinctive themes, substantive programming, forward-thinking vision, and engaging format. The International Mountain Tourism Day has developed into a shared platform cultivated and benefited from by the global mountain tourism community and IMTA members, standing as one of IMTA's most visible and influential brands in shaping global tourism governance.

The 2024 "International Mountain Tourism Day", the IMTA Sino-French Joint Mountaineering Team summited Mont Blanc
Image source: IMTA

Shennongjia is the first heritage site in China to be collectively inscribed under three major UNESCO conservation frameworks: the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Reserve, Global Geopark and World Heritage Site, earning it the title of a "triple-accredited" heritage site. It safeguards Eurasia's most intact forest ecosystem and the Northern Hemisphere's most significant biodiversity at this latitude—an ecosystem of global importance, representativeness, typicality and rarity. By partnering with Hubei Province to host the International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 here, IMTA aims to create a premier global platform for mountain tourism dialogue, advance the protection and use of World Heritage sites, and share with the world China's vision and practical experience in fostering harmony between humanity and nature.

Golden Snub-nosed Monkey in Shennongjia Foresty District, Hubei Province, China
Image source: Jiang Yong/Shennongjia Forestry Tourism Bureau

Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Congxiao

Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang

Editor Ⅲ: Zhang Yijing