Mountain Tourism Sector Reconvened to Explore New Directions 山地旅游業再次聚會探索新方向

The 12th World Congress on Snow, Mountain and Wellness Tourism was held in late March in Andorra, attended by over 400 delegates representing 16 nationalities. Themed "Mountainlikers: Sustainability and Wellbeing, the Keys to Mountain Tourism," the hybrid event was live-streamed.

兩年一度的世界冰雪、山地與康養旅游大會于3月下旬在安道爾舉行。本次是第十二屆，來自16個國家的400多名代表出席。大會主題為 “可持續發展和福祉——山地旅游的關鍵”，大會進行了現場直播。

Andorra is one of the eight smallest countries in Europe, yet the small country takes big actions. In 1995, Andorra joined the UNWTO (now UN Tourism). Subsequently, in 1998, Andorra organized the first World Congress of Snow and Mountain Tourism jointly with the UNWTO. Since then, the congress has been held every two years and hosted by the seven Andorran parishes in rotation. The parish Encomp took the helm in 2024.

安道爾是歐洲8個袖珍國之一，但是小國不乏大舉措。1995年安道爾加入聯合國世界旅游組織（現名“聯合國旅游組織”），1998年與世界旅游組織聯合舉辦了首屆世界冰雪旅游大會。此后兩年一屆，由安道爾的7個教區輪流主辦，今年的主辦教區是恩坎普。

雕塑作品“7位詩人” (Seven Poets) 代表安道爾的7個教區 © Haybina Hao

Sustainability at the core of the sector

可持續性是行業的核心

H.E. Mr. Xavier Espot Zamora, Prime Minister of Andorra, addressed the Congress. With 83,000 inhabitants, Andorra welcomed 9.3 million visitors and 12 million overnight stays. Tourism contributes a staggering 50%+ of GDP. However, “Andorra needs premium tourism to better balance quantity and quality and to ensure the economic benefits are not diminished by negative natural and social impacts." He proudly stated that 90% of Andorra's territory continued to be protected by the Burne Convention, the European Landscape Convention, and the Convention of Biological Diversity, and Andorra was a candidate to become the first country fully recognized as a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

安道爾總理澤維爾·埃斯波特·薩莫拉在開幕式上發表演講。他說，安道爾居民8.3萬，年接待游客930萬并有1,200萬人次過夜，旅游業占GDP50%以上。然而 “安道爾需要優質的旅游業，以便更好地平衡數量與質量，確保經濟效益不被負面的自然與社會影響而抵消。” 他說，安道爾 90% 的領土得到《伯恩公約》、《歐洲土地公約》、《生物多樣性公約》的保護，安道爾也是聯合國教科文組織認可的“全國生物圈保護區”的第一個候選國。

安道爾總理出席并發表講演 © Mountainlikers

Mrs. Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UN Tourism, stated that mountain tourism was responsible for 9–16% of international arrivals. With climate change, social and economic inequality, and geopolitical issues, “mountain tourism has unique opportunities to move forward with a positive impact on people and nature," and “the Congress fits well within the framework of the U.N. declaration of 2023-2027: Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions.” She concluded her congress addresses by saying, “Together, the sector will make sure that mountain tourism is a key driver for sustainable tourism.”

聯合國旅游組織執行主任納塔莉亞·巴約納女士表示，山地旅游占國際入境游客的9%-16%。鑒于氣候變化、社會與經濟不平等以及地緣政治問題，“山地旅游業擁有獨特的發展機會，能對人類和自然產生積極影響”；“大會非常符合聯合國宣言 ‘2023-2027年：山區發展五年行動’ 的框架。” 在大會總結發言中她說：“山地旅游業將共同確保成為可持續旅游業的關鍵驅動力。”

Encamp Mayor, Hon. Mrs. Laura Mas Barrionuevo, stated that “the sustainability of our parish and the well-being of our tourists are the cornerstones of our tourism strategy. In Encamp, we are clear that natural resources are not infinite, and we must give them optimal use and maximum care.” She stated that Andorra had become the international benchmark for high-level professional sporting events and sports tourism, and it needed to protect water, snow, and mountains to sustain itself.

恩坎普市長勞拉·馬斯·巴里奧努埃沃女士表示：“本教區的可持續發展和游客的福祉是我們旅游戰略的基石。我們清楚：自然資源不是無限的，我們必須給予其最優化的利用和最大限度的關照。”她表示，安道爾已成為高水平職業體育賽事和體育旅游的國際標桿，它需要保護水源、雪域、山地以維持自身的發展。

媒體采訪安道爾政界代表 © Haybina Hao

Surrounding the sustainability issue, several congress sessions focused on building resilience for mountain communities, preserving local heritage, and sharing best practices.

圍繞可持續發展問題，大會有幾場討論會的重點是增強山區社區的復原力、保護當地遺產和分享行業的最佳實踐。

Strong partnerships to address industry needs  

強大的合作伙伴關系為行業需求服務

Sandra Carvao, Director of Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at UN Tourism, conducted an interactive session. Through the Mentimeter app, some 10 questions were proposed live to gather immediate answers. For Traveler Profile, audience described as “couples/active/wellness, solo/active/adventure and groups/active/adventure”; for Fighting Seasonality strategies, audience listed diversifying activities, focusing on high value, promoting year-around outdoor activities, etc.; and for Future Discussion Topics, audience named protecting local traditions, educating travelers, and building new infrastructure, etc.

聯合國旅游組織旅游市場情報和競爭力總監桑德拉·卡沃女士主持了一場互動會議，使用Mentimeter 應用程序，當場提出約10個問題征集答案。對于“未來5年誰是旅行者”一問，領先的答案是 “成對伴侶/體力/康養、獨行/體力/冒險、團體/體力/冒險”；關于“對應季節性旅游策略”的問題，領先答案是推出多元化活動、聚焦高價值產品、推廣全年戶外活動等；對于“未來的討論題目”，與會者更關注保護當地傳統、教育旅行者、新的基礎設施等等。

A high-level panel was joined by H.E. Mr. Jordi Torres Falcó, Minister of Tourism and Trade of Andorra; H.E. Mrs. Rosana Morillo Rodríguez, Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain; and Mrs. Alessandra Priante, President of the National Tourism Agency (ENIT) of Italy. Moderated by Natalia Bayona, the speakers addressed policies and strategies for conquering climate change and seasonality, balancing depopulated regions vs. over-tourism, tourism investment in innovative projects and products, technology improvement, etc. Speakers pointed out that some of the strongest innovations evolved from remarkable partnerships with the private sector.

一場高規格圓桌會由納塔莉亞·巴約納主持，并邀請到安道爾旅游與貿易部長喬迪·托雷斯·法冦先生、西班牙旅游部長羅莎娜·莫里洛·羅德里格斯女士和意大利國家旅游局（ENIT）總裁亞歷山德拉·普里安特女士。他們討論了應對氣候變化與季節性的政策、平衡人口稀少地區與過度旅游地區、技術改進等方面的政策和戰略，并指出：一些最成功的創新突破和旅游投資項目，產生于與私營部門的良好合作之中。

多國旅游部長參加高規格討論會 © Mountainlikers

Jordi Torres stated that Andorra hoped to win the Alpine World Ski Championships 2029 bid. To become a better all-season mountain tourism destination, Andorra relied on AI and new technology to help with innovation. Rosana Morillo stated that of the 83 million arrivals to Spain, 11 million came for sports tourism, which generated 17 billion euros. Being a top country for tourism investment, she shared how the Spanish government worked together with the private sector in tourism investment. Italy will host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with a 4-billion-euro economic impact. Italy was looking into how to sustain the long-term benefits of the Games and how tourism development could become a cohesive effort in developing the cities near the mountains.

喬迪·托雷斯表示，安道爾希望獲得2029年世界高山滑雪錦標賽的申辦權。為了成為更好的全季節山地旅游目的地，安道爾依靠人工智能與新技術來幫助創新。羅莎娜·莫里洛表示，在西班牙8,300萬入境游客中，有1,100萬奔體育旅游而來，創收益170億歐元。作為旅游投資大國，她分享了西班牙政府如何與私營部門合作開展旅游投資。意大利將舉辦2026年冬季奧運會，帶動40億歐元的經濟影響力。意大利正在研究如何維持冬奧會的長期效益，以及山地旅游如何與鄰近城市共同凝聚發展。

夜晚在滑雪場舉行的招待會 © Mountainlikers

The industry is seeking broader partnerships worldwide to achieve sustainability. A joint project between National Geographic and Andorra Tourism to produce a documentary, Andorra al natural, the environment where ideas germinate, was presented by Javier Corso, a Nat Geo explorer. The film addresses Andorra‘s advantages as a sports destination, wellness destination, and premier destination.

為了實現可持續發展，山地旅游業在尋求全球范圍的合作伙伴關系。國家地理雜志探險家哈維爾·科索介紹了一部紀錄片，即《國家地理雜志》和安道爾旅游局聯合制作的《安道爾，一個思想萌芽的自然環境》。影片描述了安道爾作為體育目的地、康養目的地和優異目的地的多種優勢。

南歐最大的水療設施-安道爾水療中心加勒底(Caldea) © Haybina Hao)

Wellness tourism a major opportunity

康養旅游是重大機遇

Tourism and wellness are two multi-trillion-dollar industries. The Global Wellness Institute measured wellness tourism expenditures at $720 billion in 2019, and the sector would continue to accelerate.

旅游和康養是兩個價值數萬億美元的產業。根據全球康養研究所的測算，2019年康養旅游消費為7,200億美元，并且行業在加速發展。

In 2023, the Hilton trends report stated that overall wellness remains a priority for travelers, as 50% of respondents seek travel experiences that align with their wellness goals and priorities, addressing the mind, body, and spirit. It revealed “rest and relaxation” to be a top driver for travel decisions across generations in 2024. A Hilton survey found that “travelers will reduce other areas of personal spending to prioritize... Their No. 1 reason to travel in 2024 will be to rest and recharge, with more emphasis on sleep than ever before.”

2023年“希爾頓趨勢報告”指出，全面的健康狀態仍然是旅行者的追求重點，50%的受訪者尋求與健康目標相關的旅游體驗，以滿足身心和精神的需求。報告顯示，“休息與放松”將成為2024年旅行決策的驅動因素，無論是哪一代人。希爾頓的調查發現，“旅行者將減少其他個人支出領域…… 他們2024年旅行的首要原因將是休息和充電，比以往任何時候都更加重視睡眠。”

Sleep tourism is emerging, and it’s predicted to expand to $400 billion in the next four years. Hotels move quickly to restructure with new sleep-aide AI tools, beds, massage tools, etc. These specialty suites are selling at premium rates.

睡眠旅游適時興起，預計未來4年產業將擴大到4000億美元。酒店在迅速采取重組措施，推出新的睡眠輔助人工智能工具、床、按摩工具等等，這些特色套房售價可觀。

Mountains have healing effects, contributing to psychological well-being and general health. Addressing wellness tourism and health tourism, speakers included the Ministry of Tourism of Greece, the European Spas, Health Tourism Worldwide, based in Hungary, the CHENOT GROUP of Switzerland, and Iconic Andorra. Discussions were geared toward the improvement of the added value to visitors’ experiences in the mountain territories.

山脈具有治愈作用，有助于心理健康和整體健康。大會討論了康養旅游和健康旅游，發言機構包括希臘旅游部、歐洲水療中心、總部位于匈牙利的健康旅游世界、瑞士的切諾特集團、安道爾標志；討論旨在提高游客在山區體驗的附加價值。

恩坎普的山間跑道 © Encamp恩坎普旅游局

An Intrepid Travel survey found that the fastest-growing segment for adventure tourism was women aged 45 and older, which grew by 83% yearly, and they wanted soft adventure. This is a huge opportunity for the sector to include the whole wellness journey in product offerings.

Intrepid 旅游公司的一項調查發現，冒險旅游增長最快的群體是45歲及以上的女性，年增長83%；她們希望“軟性冒險”。對于探險旅游業這是將整個康養之旅納入產品供應鏈的巨大機會。

Research report to aid the sector  

協助該行業的研究報告

A research report, Understanding and Quantifying Mountain Tourism, released in 2023, was presented by UN Tourism and Pas Grau International (Andorra) representatives. It was jointly developed by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, and the UNWTO.

2023年發布的研究報告《理解和量化山地旅游》由聯合國糧農組織 (FAO)、山區伙伴關系秘書處和聯合國世界旅游組織 (UNWTO) 聯合推出。大會上聯合國旅游組織和帕斯格勞國際組織（安道爾）的代表對此報告進行了詳細闡述。

The report states that the mountains are home to 15% of the world′s population and host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots. 150 countries identified as mountain destinations as per the existence of mountains account for 87% of international tourist arrivals. “Walking and hiking,” “nature tourism,” and “rural tourism” are the predominant activities in mountain destinations, according to the report survey. The full report is available for view and download at: https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/epdf/10.18111/97”89284424023

報告指出，山區居住著15%的世界人口，也是世界近一半生物多樣性的熱點區域。150個國家因為山脈被定義為山地旅游目的地，它們的入境游客人數占國際游客總量的87%。調查表明，“徒步遠足”、“大自然旅游”和“鄉村旅游”是山區目的地的主要活動。此完整報告見鏈接：https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/epdf/10.18111/97”89284424023

恩坎普的山間自行車道 © Encamp恩坎普旅游局

Building human capital

建設人力資本

Tourism is a sector of human capital. Focusing on people means focusing on teams, clients, and the communities. Andorra is the host of the UN Tourism Academy, which offers more than 250 programs to over 40 countries. A congress session on education and training hit many key points, including the critical role of equipping human capital with essential knowledge and skills to thrive in a digitalized world; the three-party partnerships with the public sector, private sector, and academia, which drives better data collection and research analysis to provide a better foundation for policy and decision-making. On a personal level, monitoring small progress and engaging in 1% daily enhancement could lead to a major improvement over time.

旅游業是一個人力資本的產業。以人為本意味著關注團隊、客戶和社區。安道爾是聯合國旅游學院的東道國，該學院向40多個國家提供250多個項目。大會關于”教育與培訓”的討論會，涉及到許多關鍵點，包括為人力資本提供必要的知識和技能以在數字化世界中蓬勃發展的關鍵作用；加強公共部門、私營部門和學術界三方面的伙伴關系，以推動更好的數據收集和研究分析，為政策與決策提供更扎實的基礎。在個人層面上，把控微小的進步，每天1%的改進可以隨著時間帶來質變。

An AI discussion encouraged the adaptation of the use of AI tools. A nine-element model of "Sustainable Tourism Strategy Powered by AI" was shared with the audience, which includes data centralization, sustainability dashboards, dynamic pricing, etc.

有關人工智能的講演鼓勵人們大膽使用人工智能工具，并向與會者介紹了一個 “人工智能驅動的可持續旅游戰略”九要素模型，包括數據集中、可持續發展儀表板、動態定價等。

Overall, the congress provided delegates with a full scope of exchange and learning experiences. Through various social events, delegates enjoyed rich learning and networking experiences. Tailor-made tours offered a taste of Encamp’s diverse tourism resources as well as its vibrant business activities carried out in the 12,000-person community. For business practitioners, especially, the takeaways included new ideas and tools for business development.  

總之，本次大會為代表們提供了全方位的交流和學習機會，通過各種社交活動獲取了更多的信息。量身定制的旅游活動，使代表們體驗了恩坎普的多樣化旅游資源，以及這個1.2萬居民社區的活力滿滿的商業活動。對于旅游從業者來說，更是收獲了關于發展業務的新點子和多種工具。

恩坎普一家滑雪場的兒童區 © Haybina Hao

The 13th World Congress on Snow, Mountain, and Wellness Tourism will be held in 2026 and hosted by parish Ordino.

第十三屆世界雪地、山地與健康旅游大會將于2026年舉行，由安道爾的奧爾迪諾教區主辦。

Congress recording大會錄像：https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=12th+congress+on+snow+and+moutain%2C+wellness+toruism