On May 29, the"International Mountain Tourism Day 2025" Theme Events kicked off on Gran Canaria, Spain. With the theme "Embracing Mountains and Seas, Coexisting with Cultures — Mountain Tourism and Cultural Inclusiveness for the Future," the event brought together representatives from international organizations, government officials, industry leaders, experts, scholars, and media worldwide to explore inclusive collaboration and shared development in global mountain tourism. The program included an opening ceremony, thematic forums, mountain cultural exchange sessions, a China-Spain cultural tourism exhibition, and the "Gran Canaria Night" welcome dinner. Participants engaged in diverse formats to share advanced concepts, discuss cutting-edge issues, and deepen practical cooperation. At the opening ceremony, Mr. Miguel Sanz, General Director of Turespaña, delivered a video speech, while -Mr. Antonio Morales Méndez, President of the Government of Gran Canaria, Spain, gave a welcome address.
Full Text of Speeches:
Video Address by Mr. Miguel Sanz, General Director of Turespaña
It is my great pleasure to join you for the opening of "International Mountain Tourism Day 2025." Gran Canaria, without doubt, is a premier tourism destination—far more than just sun and sand—and fully deserves to host such a meaningful event.
This conference will highlight the importance of nature, mountains, and geological resources as tourism assets. Spain is rich in such resources: over half our territory is mountainous, and we are a global biodiversity hotspot, home to numerous UNESCO biosphere reserves and World Heritage sites. Gran Canaria, as you know well, is itself a biosphere reserve and boasts multiple World Heritage sites.
The United Nations World Heritage Site - RISCO CAIDO Archaeological Site and the sacred Mountain Montanas Sagradas Image source: Touring Spain
The key now is how we leverage these assets to drive tourism development—particularly sustainable tourism. This means sustainability not just environmentally, but also socially and economically.
This is precisely what Spain’s National Tourism Agency (Turespaña) and the Ministry of Industry and Tourism are working toward. The Secretary of State for Tourism is advancing the sustainable transformation of Spain’s tourism sector, with goals to leverage our global leadership in tourism to accelerate this transition, reduce carbon footprints, enhance residents’ quality of life, and create high-quality, repositionable tourism products that are truly sustainable.
Tejda on Gran Canaria, Spain, Image source: Touring Spain
I believe mountain tourism is not just the future for Spain and Europe, but also for the Americas and Asia—especially China. Thank you for your support of Spain’s tourism promotion efforts. I wish you all a productive conference and great success. Thank you again for inviting Turespaña to participate.
Source: IMTA
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen
Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
