What can one conference achieve? Perhaps China’s glorious revolutionary history can provide an answer: a great conference can be a rescue, a turning point, or the dawn of a brand-new era. But one thing is certain — the first International (China · Zhaoqing) Hiking Tourism Festival will herald a new age where humanity returns to nature, respects life, and ultimately promotes social harmony and global unity.
A rather interesting phenomenon is emerging in China today. The once-booming real estate industry is shifting from purely residential developments toward a composite tourism and leisure sector. Once-obscure places like Lijiang in China, OCT (Overseas Chinese Town) expanding into tier-one and tier-two cities, along with hiking activities of various scales, have all started booming. This signals that a massive consumer demand is calling for a major industry — the footsteps of the leisure era are approaching. Against this backdrop, the “First International (China · Zhaoqing) Hiking Tourism Festival” jointly organized by the People’s Government of Zhaoqing City and the Internationaler Volkssportverband has become what the people are calling for, marking a symbolic opening of the door to the leisure era.
To better and more swiftly adapt to the demands of China’s leisure era, the China Headquarters of the Internationaler Volkssportverband will also be officially renamed as the China Headquarters of the International Leisure Sports Federation, aiming to better serve the leisure needs of Chinese citizens, especially in the realm of hiking.
IVVis an international organization dedicated to the development of non-competitive recreational sports for citizens. Established in1968, it is headquartered in Germany. By2012, in
IVVit had grown to include58member countries, 6,000 member clubs, and nearly2billion members.IVVThe sports it offers include hiking, skiing, ice skating, cycling, and swimming, among which hiking is the main activity.IVVIt organizes major events such as theIVVOlympics,IVVWorld Cup,IVVEuropean Cup, andIVVYouth Cup. After half a century of development,IVVA highly mature organizational system, operational mechanisms, trail standards, and certification framework have been established.IVVIts success in the field of urban leisure and sports has greatly influenced the leisure development process in Western developed countries.
IVVHosting the annual conference in China will not only showcase the healthy progress of the national fitness campaign in the country but also bring advanced international leisure concepts and well-established leisure sports models to China. It will provide a broad platform for integration and exchange with the global leisure community, significantly accelerating the advancement of a fashionable and leisurely lifestyle in China.
Held in Antalya, Turkey,2011 IVVthe annual conference, after several rounds of intense competition and voting, saw Zhaoqing, China, stand out among numerous cities from around the world and win2012the bid to host theIVVannual conference.IVVThe annual conference is making its first appearance in Asia. At that time, representatives, experts, and industry pioneers from58countries will gather in Zhaoqing, drawing worldwide attention to China. To effectively leverage the driving role of theIVVannual conference, the People's Government of Zhaoqing Municipality andCVAwill also organize the 3rd International (China) Hiking Forum and Outdoor Leisure Tourism Resources Summit, the China Top Ten Hikers Selection,2012the International (China) Outdoor Leisure Tourism Resources Exhibition,2012the International Citizens’ (China · Zhaoqing) Star Lake Greenway Hiking Event, and the International Citizens’ (China · Zhaoqing) Hiking Exploration during the tourism festival. Through four segments—theoretical analysis, scientific research, practical participation, and leadership demonstration—a “National Leisure Lifestyle Initiative” will be issued to the whole society.