Shennongjia, a forested and mountainous area in central China's Hubei Province, was officially recognized as one of the "World Tourism Mountains" on Friday during celebrations to mark International Mountain Tourism Day, highlighting China's successful model of balancing ecological conservation with high-quality mountain tourism development.

The prestigious designation was conferred by the International Mountain Tourism Alliance at the opening ceremony of the annual event, which also featured the signing of a sister-mountain partnership between the "Roof of Central China", Shennongjia, and Nepal's Annapurna region in the Himalayas, also known as the "Roof of the World."

Roshan Khanal, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Nepal in China, expressed optimism about the bilateral cooperation.

"We already have many cooperation agreements in tourism and protecting mountains even for collaboration and cooperation in Mount Chomolungma," she said.

Shennongjia holds a unique position in China's ecological landscape as the country's first and only site to be inscribed on all three major UNESCO conservation lists: the Man and the Biosphere Reserve, World Geopark, and World Natural Heritage.

It boasts the most intact forest ecosystem in Eurasia, the most remarkable biodiversity at the same latitude in the Northern Hemisphere, and the world's most complete altitudinal spectrum of natural belts.

Building on this exceptional natural heritage, Hubei Province has been promoting an international eco-cultural tourism route since 2025, linking Shennongjia, Wudang Mountain, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and Enshi Grand Canyon. Spanning over 400 kilometers across western Hubei, the route seamlessly integrates nine national 5A-level tourist attractions and seven world-class natural and cultural landmarks into a unified travel experience.

He Yafei, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, highlighted China's valuable experience in developing mountain tourism while prioritizing environmental protection.
"We are promoting China's mountain tourism experience of 'development through protection' to the world. China's tourism industry is shifting from scale expansion to quality enhancement. As a safe, diverse, healthy, joyful, and cost-effective destination, China's appeal is unprecedented," he said.