GUIYANG, China, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- After the COVID-19 epidemic, global tourism has ushered in a rapid recovery, with sports tourism aiding the sustainable development of global tourism.

"My Chinese vocabulary is very limited, but I know there is a word in Chinese called 'weiji', which means there are opportunities in danger," said Francesco Frangialli, honorary secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

At present, the global tourism industry is returning to the right track and showing a strong rebound, and countries and regions are looking for new ways to unlock the potential of tourism consumption, Frangialli added.

Earlier this month, the 2023 International Conference of Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports was held in Xingyi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, where guests from different countries and regions discussed new trends in global tourism development and said that China's exploration had provided them with a new direction.

Dominique de Villepin, chairman of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), said that in the new era of tourism, supply and demand are going through new changes, which encourages the tourism sector to upgrade products, improve facilities and services and build destinations that appeal to tourists' preferences.

Pansy Ho, vice chairman of IMTA, said that mountain tourism appeals to the growing desire of tourists to maintain close contact with nature, and is now deeply integrated with culture, health and sports.

China boasts rich mountain tourism resources, with mountain-related natural and cultural heritage sites and national scenic spots accounting for more than 50 percent of the country's total.

Guizhou Province, known as the "Kingdom of Karst Landform" due to its complex and towering mountains, has evolved into a haven for mountain tourism and outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Data shows that in the first eight months of 2023, the province received a total of 464 million tourists, generating a tourism revenue of 534.5 billion yuan (73.2 billion U.S. dollars), 109.2 percent and 117.7 percent of that reported for the same period in 2019 respectively.

Villepin said that the rich and unique mountain resources in Guizhou provide a broad space for the development of mountain tourism. "With the exploration and development of diversified forms of mountain tourism in Guizhou, Guizhou will be built into a unique international mountain tourism destination."

Data shows that adventure tourism, which is mainly carried out in mountainous areas, had a global market of 366.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and that number is expected to reach 4.6 trillion U.S. dollars by 2032, with an average annual growth rate of 28.7 percent.

"Most adventure tourism activities are carried out in mountainous areas, which is where the world's mountainous regions like Guizhou have new opportunities for development," said Suman Pandey, treasurer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), adding that the diversified mountain tourism industry and sports will continue to bring considerable revenue to mountainous areas. Enditem

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