Shi Zhongjun: Tourism cooperation has created favorable conditions for the sustainable development of ASEAN-China relations

On 29 May, the “International Mountain Tourism Day 2023” theme events titled “Enjoy the Wonder of Mountains, Share the Beauty of Life, Revitalize the Tourism Industry” kicked off in Vientiane, Laos. The events were jointly organized by Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR (MICT), International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), and supported by World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), ASEAN-China Center (ACC), China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE), Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Foreign Affairs Office. Over 250 guests from international organizations, IMTA members, and tourism institutions, culture and tourism enterprises, experts and scholars, and global media workers from Laos and other countries, gathered together to discuss the supply, market development, and solutions of mountain tourism facing the new consumer demands, explore the system of mountain tourism cooperation and governance within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) framework, and jointly facilitate the full recovery, opening and interaction of the tourism market. Guests, from various perspectives, offered constructive and forward-looking insights on the new-stage innovation and regional development of mountain tourism. The events has aroused widespread concern in the international tourism industry.

During the opening ceremony, Shi Zhongjun, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Center delivered a speech.

It is my great pleasure to meet you online on the International Mountain Tourism Day. First of all, on behalf of the ASEAN-China Centre, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Secretariat of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR for the kind invitation. Please accept my warm congratulations to the Theme Events at International Mountain Tourism Day 2023.

Connected by mountains and rivers, ASEAN and China are good neighbors, good friends and good partners sharing cultural affinity. Tourism cooperation is an essential part of ASEAN-China people-to-people exchanges. The practical cooperation in tourism have brought tangible benefits to the peoples on two sides, creating favorable conditions for the sustainable development of ASEAN-China relations.

Mountains are home to around 1.1 billion people on earth. ASEAN countries and China are both rich in mountain tourism resources and boast popular mountain tourism destinations. The boosting of mountain tourism has not only generated economic benefits, created opportunities for local communities, but also helped preserve their natural resources, becoming an important means of poverty reduction and rural revitalization. The celebration of International Mountain Tourism Day in Lao PDR will raise more public understanding of the socio-economic importance of tourism in mountains and call upon more concerted efforts of stakeholders to develop responsible mountain tourism and build a better future for our homeland.

The ASEAN-China Centre is an inter-governmental organization jointly established by the governments of 10 ASEAN member states and China, dedicated to enhancing ASEAN-China practical cooperation and exchanges in the areas of trade and investment, education, culture and tourism, information and public relations. In the post-pandemic era, ASEAN countries and China are shouldering great responsibilities to accelerate regional economic recovery and advance sustainable development. To this end, the ASEAN-China Centre is willing to work closely with parties like the International Mountain Tourism Alliance to brand and promote mountain tourism and to better play the important role of tourism in improving people’s well-being and ecological environment, serving to strengthen people-to-people ties, and contributing to the continued building of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

To conclude, I wish the Theme Events at International Mountain Tourism Day 2023 a great success.