The World Snow, Mountain and Wellness Tourism Congress is back

‘Sustainability and well-being, the keys to mountain tourism’ will be the motto of the 12th edition of the World Congress of Snow, Mountain and Wellbeing Tourism, which will take place in Andorra on 20, 21 and 22 March.

Organized by the Government of Andorra and UN Tourism in collaboration with the comune (city council) of Encamp, the Congress is also supported by Andorra’s other comunes (city councils) and has two main sponsors: Andorra Telecom as technical sponsor and Crend, Credit Andorra as silver sponsor.

‘For another edition, we are pleased that Andorra is the headquarters of the World Snow, Mountain and Wellness Tourism Congress. Andorra’s tourism promotion model has always emphasized the importance of mountain and snow tourism. Now, in response to new traveler demand, we are beginning to highlight the qualities of well-being that have always accompanied the country of the Pyrenees, says Jordi Torres, Andorra’s Minister of Tourism and Commerce.

For Torres, ‘The Government of Andorra is aware that it is necessary to work with determination to achieve the difficult and inevitable balance between economic growth, the well-being of citizens and the protection of the environment. In short, the challenge is to work towards a more sustainable tourism that takes into account social, economic and environmental aspects to ensure the prosperity of citizens and professionals in the region, without neglecting visitor satisfaction.’

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism, says ‘It is our duty to ensure that tourism contributes to the sustainable future of mountains and we work to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of mountain tourism for the benefit of our people.’

‘This edition of the Congress aims to serve as a roadmap for the region to shape the future of mountain destinations, showcasing examples of innovation, best practices and creative initiatives that are strong for the benefit of local communities. And can serve as inspiration to grow better. Around the planet’, said the Secretary-General.

On this occasion, UN Tourism will present its recent report prepared in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Mountain Partnership: Understanding and Quantifying Mountain Tourism. Actual experiences that reflect the concepts of ‘wellness tourism’, or ‘health tourism’.

In this edition, top-level professionals and several institutional representatives, during two days of work, will debate issues such as sustainability as the axis of development of the tourism sector, tourism diversification, in particular, emerging tourism products that respond to new We do. the demands of future travelers as well as the training needed to cope with this change, among other things.

Real experiences of the implementation of the ‘wellness tourism’ concept will come from interventions such as Laszlo Puczko, CEO of Health Tourism Worldwide, Joan Muro, President of the Andorra Health Destination Health Tourism Association, or Emma Haefeli, Marketing Director. Chenot Group (Switzerland), among others.

Another product in focus will be ‘Thermal Tourism’ – to gain a deeper understanding of this new trend in mountain areas, the Congress will have the presence of Sisila Mezzosi, Secretary General of the European Spa Association, who will tell about the experience of thermal tourism across Europe. ,

The Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism such as Saas-Fee, Swiss region Valais (BTV in 2021), St. Anton am Arlberg in Austria (BTV 2023) and Ordino in Andorra (BTV in 2023) will also be represented. ,

Sustainability will also be the protagonist with interventions such as Javier Corso, who will present the project that National Geographic has carried out together with Andorra Tourism to improve the impact of tourism on the environment and people and which is titled: ‘Andorra al’Natural’ , the environment in which ideas germinate. Javier Corso is a National Geographic Explorer, a special designation given to only a few people around the world who work to protect the planet.

Education and training will also have a prominent place in this edition of the Congress, where Rui Zhou, President of the Bella Vista Higher Education Institute in Switzerland, will meet with María Abelnet, President of CETT, Barcelona, ​​to discuss the challenges and the resources of mountain tourism in the near future. Human needs.

Sports will be another current topic. This time with the help of David Astri, director of Iconic Andorra, who will present the Medical-Sports Residential High-Altitude Center, which aims to become a European and world reference for high-altitude sports training.

Successful experiences of representatives from Best of the Alps, Lake Zurs Tourism (Austria), Pyrenees Agency and Pic du Midi (France) will also be highlighted.

To address the main themes, the meeting will be divided into four sessions that will focus on health and wellness tourism, promotion of premium tourism in mountain areas, emerging tourism products and training and recruitment of human resources.

express. Formatting. J.R.