Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou: Ten years of the Mountain Tourism Conference, from viewing mountains to living in mountains

Xingyi, China, November 10, 2026 -- The 2026 International Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports Conference commenced on 9 November in Xingyi City, Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province. This edition marks the tenth Mountain Tourism Conference, with the theme “Integration of Culture, Tourism, and Sports—High-Quality Living: Deep Breaths in the Mountains, Slow Travel and Living.”From 2015 to 2025, seven editions of the conference were held in Qianxinan Prefecture. The inaugural event in 2015 established a consensus that “mountains are an important tourism resource,” while this year’s edition incorporates “slow travel and living” into its theme. Taking the hosting of the conference as an opportunity, Qianxinan has continued to transform the constraints posed by its karst landscape into unique settings for outdoor sports.

The main ancillary events of this conference include the 2026 International Mountain Tourism Alliance Council, the annual meeting and the opening ceremony of the conference, as well as a series of “Mountain Tourism+” exchange symposiums, focusing on themes such as mountain outdoor sports,mountain wellness tourism, mountain living environments and the integrated development of the tourism and residential industry.

Over the past decade, the first thing to change in Qianxinan was people’s mindset. Once “trapped by the mountains,” it is now “prospering because of the mountains.” Wanfenglin Scenic Area has been upgraded to a national 5A-level tourist attraction, Xingyi Global Geopark has been included in the UNESCO list, and there are 48 A-level scenic spots throughout the prefecture. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge has reduced travel time between Zhenfeng and Guanling from two hours to just two minutes. Beneath the bridge, it is no longer a perilous route but a “625” bridge tourism scene comprised of bungee jumping, parachuting, and race tracks. The mountains have transformed from obstacles to be overcome into identifiable, operable, and priceable “comparative advantages.”

The industry landscape is also shifting. Around Wanfenglin, the largest cluster of guesthouses in Guizhou has formed, integrating coffee, intangible cultural heritage, rural experiences, and hiking to create a complex cultural tourism consumption scenario. Events such as the Wanfenglin Marathon, Wanfeng Lake wild fishing, and Anlong rock climbing have evolved from occasional activities into regular experiences. The cultural tourism strategy in Qianxinan is shifting from “selling a ticket” to “offering a lifestyle.”

In terms of culture, Guizhou’s “village dances” have moved from courtyards and field ridges to the national stage. The ethnic song and dance drama “Jin·Lan” features 113 grassroots participants as cast and crew, with embroiderers weaving the lives of Gaoqiao and various ethnic groups into a single “brocade blueprint,” while more than ten intangible cultural heritage elements are vividly presented within the plot. Village dances are not only lively but also transform attention into tourism experiences, residential tourism consumption, and ethnic cultural exchange.

The central themes of this conference are “slowness” and “staying.” Qianxinan Prefecture holds titles and honors such as “China’s Four-Season Health and Wellness Capital” and “World Demonstration City for Health and Wellness,”and is developing into All-Seasons Wellness & Health Retreat Destination、A Pilot Zone for Travel and Wellness Residence in Guizhou Province.

The “Three-Year Action Plan for HighQuality Development of the TravelResidence Health and Wellness Industry in Qianxinan Prefecture (2026–2028)” explicitly focuses on five pillars—travel, residence, health, wellness, and services—promoting the integrated development of ecology and industry, with the goal of providing more than 30,000 travelresidence housing units by 2030. Currently, 478 guesthouses have clustered around Wanfenglin, and the proportion of non-local buyers purchasing property in Xingyi continues to rise, turning “first-time visitors” into “repeat guests” and “transient travelers” into “new residents of Qianxinan.”

‌Challenges follow as well.‌From ‘Attracting crowds by hosting conferences’ to ‘Wellness and Health Tourism’, Qianxinan has established first-aid sub-centers in scenic spots and implemented intelligent health record management for tourists, and provided four types of stewards covering daily life, health, happiness, and operations, turning service capability into a core competitive advantage.

Ten years ago, the International Mountain Tourism Conference made the world aware that Qianxinan has mountains; as the tenth edition sets off again, Qianxinan aims to address another question—how to ensure that those who see the mountains of Qianxinan to stay:breathing its air, walking its trails, and making it their home. The landscape remains unchanged, but the relationship between people and the mountains is being rewritten.

About 2026 International Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports Conference

The International Conference of Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports 2026 is scheduled for Nov 8 to 11 in Guizhou province’s Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture. This is the 10th edition of the conference, which was first held in 2015 in Qianxinan. As a global event centered on mountain tourism, the International Conference of Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports has evolved into a platform for international exchange and cooperation.

Contact Info:
Name: The Secretariat
Email: Send Email
Organization: International Mountain Tourism Alliance
Website: http://imtaweb.net/en/

Release ID: 89209057

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