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International Mountain Day 2021 photo contest opens

18.10.2021

The theme of the International Mountain Day 2021 photo contest launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 18 October is “sustainable tourism in mountains”.

Mountain destinations attract around 15-20 percent of global tourism. Sustainable tourism in mountains – particularly when linked to nature and rural tourism – can promote sustainable food systems and value local products. It can also play a key role in valuing and protecting the natural and spiritual heritage of mountains, and the cultural diversity and traditional practices of mountain peoples.

While tourism is one of the sectors that has been most affected by the pandemic, the crisis can be seen as an opportunity. Since COVID-19, visits to open air, less crowded, domestic destinations have increased. Now is the time for mountain destinations to rethink their products and services, to place sustainability at the heart of mountain tourism.

Help raise awareness of how mountain tourism contributes to sustainable development by entering the photo contest ahead of International Mountain Day (11 December). Participants can enter the contest in one of three age categories (6-14, 15-24, and 25+) and submit up to three photo entries. The winner of each age category, to be selected by a FAO jury, will win an action camera.

To enter the contest, simply submit up to three pictures of a mountain tourism destination. It could be well-known or as yet undiscovered, a mountain, trail, village, landscape or cultural heritage site.

The deadline for entries is 22 November 2021 (12.00 CET).

Read more about the contest and submit your entry

Photo: Dominik Jirovský/Unsplash