8th July, 2025

Against the backdrop of the global tourism industry accelerating its transformation towards sustainable development, mountain tourism, with its unique natural resources, cultural heritage, and ecological value, has emerged as a core area for the upgrading of global tourism formats. Innovation represents a requirement of the times for high-quality tourism, while community engagement determines the intrinsic value of mountain tourism development.

In 2025, the IMTA launched a special research program centered on the theme "Innovation in Mountain Tourism & Local Community Engagement." The aim is to break through traditional frameworks of tourism research, pool interdisciplinary expertise, and focus on areas such as building new experiences for tourists, creating employment opportunities for local communities, generating economic reveneue and developing sustainable products. Solutions will be proposed from multiple dimensions to provide guidance for exploring paths that integrate cultural heritage, technology empowerment, and innovative community governance, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of mountain tourism.

To ensure that this research is more internationally representative and professionally sound, the special research will be carried out by collecting research papers from international experts and case studies from various countries. The IMTA is now calling contributions from the global industry. Experts and institutions from all countries and regions are welcome to submit manuscripts. Selected papers will be included in the "Innovation in Mountain Tourism & Local Community Engagement" special report, which is scheduled to be released during the “IMTA Annual Conference 2025” and disseminated globally through communication platforms and relevant media.

If you wish to participate in this collection, please send the paper with your photo and self-introduction to the email address: dengsj@imtaweb.org by August 15, 2025. It is recommended to be no more than 5,000 words. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to joining hands with you to inject new wisdom and momentum into the sustainable development of mountain tourism.

Contact: Deng Shijie (Mr.)

(Comprehensive Business Department, IMTA Secretariat)

Tel: +86 19984413187, E-mail: dengsj@imtaweb.org

International Mountain Tourism Alliance Secretariat

Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen

Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang

Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong