The 2017 International Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports Conference kicks off in Qianxinan, Guizhou province, China

Opening Ceremony (PRNewsfoto/2017 International Mountain Tou)

XINGYI, China, Aug. 16, 2017 /CNW/ -- The 2017 International Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports Conference kicks off in Xingyi, the capital of Qianxinan prefecture, a region in the southwestern part of China's Guizhou province, on August 16, 2017. The event is expected to attract over 1,200 government officials and business executives as well as influencers and experts across the worlds of mountain travel and outdoor sports from 29 countries and regions worldwide.

The conference, with the tagline "promoting harmony between man and nature as well as healthy lifestyles" will host over 20 international mountain sports events, including hiking, a fire balloon event hosted by the Chinese Balloon Club League, the China Rally Championship, a camping event, a cycling competition, a cross-country running competition and a mountain sport challenge. In addition, a series of meetings and seminars directed to the travel industry will be held during the event, including the first annual forum of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) and the Green Development and Mountain Travel seminar that will bring together a number of journalists and leaders from international chambers of commerce.

IMTA is an international organization established with the approval of the State Council of China, comprising 111 groups and individuals from 26 countries and regions across five continents, with former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin currently serving as chairman. The aim of the IMTA is to support its global members in developing their respective mountain travel markets by providing them with experience, capital and talent, among other forms of support and to explore the world's most popular mountain resorts with the aim of discovering how to best provide more professional mountain travel services. IMTA is the first international organization in China to be headquartered outside Beijing.

SOURCE 2017 International Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports Conference

Zhu Yanyan, [phone], [email protected]