Meeting time: December 18-19, 2024

Meeting location: Shaoguan, Guangdong

Meeting details:

The Fifth Earth Science Tourism Conference and 2024 Protected Areas Science Interpretation Conference was held at Shaoguan University on December 18-19. Under the theme of "Grand Ecology, New Content, High Quality," the event brought together over 200 experts and scholars from fields such as geological research, nature-based education, cultural tourism planning, and science interpretation across China to explore the latest trends in geotourism and deepen the integration of earth sciences and tourism.

Wu Wenxue, former Vice Minister of the National Tourism Administration and Vice President of the China International Public Relations Association; Chen Hang, former Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and first-level inspector; Chen Jiangfan, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shaoguan Municipal Party Committee and Director of the Propaganda Department; Kong Yunlong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shaoguan University; and Tian Guangzeng, Vice President of Shaoguan University, along with other distinguished guests, attended the event to witness the opening of the 5th Geotourism Conference & 2024 Science Interpretation Conference for Protected Areas. The conference was chaired by Li Yongliang, Secretary-General of the Geotourism Branch of the China Tourism Association.

At the opening ceremony, Wu Wenxue expressed strong agreement with the theme of the conference. In his speech, he stated, "March triumphantly forward, undeterred by mountains or seas; ride the momentum upward, unbound by days or months." He emphasized that the development of geotourism relies on such academic frontiers. Additionally, Wu Wenxue hopes that the Geotourism Branch of the China Tourism Association and universities with geography disciplines will take on the task of formulating China's "15th Five-Year Plan" for tourism development, achieving a more scientific and rational high-quality growth of the tourism industry.

During the full-day thematic forum on the 19th, 33 guest scholars focused on four major topics: "Scientific Interpretation in Protected Areas and Geo-tourism Talent Cultivation," "Evaluation and Sustainable Development of UNESCO Global Geoparks," "Scientific Interpretation and Integrated Development of Protected Areas," and "Practical Teaching and Laboratory Construction in Geo-tourism." They conducted in-depth discussions on building scientific interpretation systems, talent cultivation, and integrated development paths for geo-tourism in protected areas, exchanged insights on the evaluation and sustainable development of UNESCO Global Geoparks, shared the latest research findings in geo-tourism, and explored new driving forces for the advancement of geo-tourism.