Editor’s Note

On 29 May, the 2022 International Mountain Tourism Day theme event was held online and themed on “Mountain Tourism Promotes Healthy Life and Cultural Exchange”. The event motivated the New Media network, connected IMTA members, destination agencies, enterprises, and experts from all over the world, and carried out “cloud communication, dialogue, and presentation” around three chapters — “Focus · Mountain”, “Health · Life”, and “Civilization · Communication”. Against the complex global landscape and threat from COVID-19, the event helps create a healthier and more positive atmosphere and market for mountain tourism, promote cultural exchange, friendly communication, and mutual integration among countries, to jointly prepare, build, and share a bright future of mountain tourism. At the event, Mag. Emanuel Lehner Telic, Head of Markets Asia Pacific Attaché (Tourism) Austrian National Tourist Office, delivered a speech.

Mountains are Interconnected, Crossing National Boundaries

Excellencies, distinguished guests, the members of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance. Austria as a holiday country has been receiving approximately 50 million people per year that means 150 million Overnights until the pandemic arrived in the year 2020.

The Austria was a very successful holiday country, and as Austria's surface is covered by more than two-thirds by mountains of course most of the tourists spend their time in Austria mountains or the lake sides in the mountains of Austria. So the Alps cover most of Austria surface, and the Alps play of course an integral role in our economy, in our tourism but also in our culture. Our goal is to preserve our most precious good the Alps, the mountains, to preserve them for our children, but also of course for our guests who will continue to come to Austria every year when the pandemic ends.

So far we are very optimistic that this summer, we will reach a level of tourism in the mountains which we had before the pandemic. All the country borders are open, Austria fully open their normal restrictions, so we are happy to welcome our guests from all over the world back to our beautiful country. Mountain Tourism in place of course an integral role in Austria and in Austrian society. I remember back to my school time, two times per year, it was obligatory to go to the mountains to do some hiking, to do some Biking, and it's long time ago when I went there with my classmates, but we were also always singing cheerfully songs about how wonderful wandering and hiking in the mountains.

I wish all a good time on the Seminar on the International Mountain Tourism Day. I think corporation in the field of mountain tourism is a very fruitful thing to develop mountain tourism in a successful way, mountains do not know any borders, mountains connect, mountains link countries and I think this is a very good reason to go on discussing on International Mountain Tourism.

Once again, I wish you all the best and the very successful seminar on this Theme Event. Thank you very much.