IMTA general assembly held, elects new board

A promotional poster for the second General Assembly of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance. [Photo/WeChat account of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance]

The second General Assembly of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, or IMTA, was held on Dec 27 – reviewing the alliance's achievements made over the past five years, as well as plotting a path for its future development. 

A total of 138 members from five continents participated in the online meeting through a video link.

The leading members of the IMTA are elected. [Photo/WeChat account of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance]

The meeting elected the leading members of the alliance by secret ballot. Dominique de Villepin was re-elected as chairman, He Yafei as the vice chairman and secretary-general of the alliance, Pansy Ho Chiu-king as vice chairman and Fu Yingchun as vice chairman and executive secretary-general (legal representative).

Pansy Ho Chiu-king, as a representative, issued an initiative for the development of the mountain tourism industry.

She proposed sticking to sustainable development, grasping the new opportunities from the market's reshaping and building a new mechanism for dialogue, exchanges and cooperation – as well as promoting the innovation of mountain tourism theory and the commercialization of achievements.

The meeting also elected the second board of directors, which consists of 41 members from 22 countries and regions on three continents.

In addition, 19 institutions – including the International Nordic Walking Federation, the Provincial Government of Pichincha, Ecuador and the Tourist Office of Gran Canaria, Spain – have joined the alliance as new members.

To date, the membership of the alliance has increased to 194 groups and individuals, while the number of member countries and regions has increased to 34.

The IMTA is a non-governmental, non-profit international organization approved by the State Council, or China's Cabinet.

The purpose is to aim at sustainable tourism, protect mountain resources and promote the mountain economy. The permanent location of its headquarters (secretariat) is the city of Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.