China Great Wall Society Signs Agreement with Utah State Parks

A 16-member delegation from the China Great Wall Society visited Utah to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation.

The MOU is part of an international exchange program that will create a sister relationship between the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation, Antelope Island State Park, and the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall.

“Antelope Island State Park is pleased to enter into this cooperative relationship with the China Great Wall Society,” said Fred Hayes, director of the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation. “We share the Society’s mission of protecting and showcasing natural landscapes for visitors, and providing hiking, photography and other recreation opportunities.”

The Utah Office of Tourism, an agency of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), met with the China Great Wall Society last spring at the China Outbound Travel Mart (COTTM) in Beijing to initiate the exchange. The Society visited Utah in June and selected Antelope Island State Park for its first MOU with an organization in the United States.

To complete this partnership, on April 6, 2013, a MOU will be signed in China with the Jinshanling Great Wall Management Office during a Utah Office of Tourism Sales Mission to China.

“We are delighted to play a role in the development of this sister relationship between Antelope Island and the China Great Wall Society because it will foster relationships with this emerging tourism market and encourage more Chinese travelers to experience Utah’s outdoor activities,” said Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. “Utah’s rugged landscapes have many similarities with the rocky terrain in Mainland China.”

The China Great Wall Society was founded in 1987 under the leadership of the State Cultural Relic Bureau and specializes in exploring, studying, promoting and protecting the Great Wall. The goal of the Society is to share the Great Wall with the world and to preserve it for future generations. Its task is to foster traditional Chinese cultures, carry forward the Great Wall spirit and to have the Wall function as a bridge between governments and society.

In recent years, the China Great Wall Society has developed various international exchange programs. Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) concerning the protection of world heritage sites and sustainable tourism development have been signed with Egypt, Norway, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Peru, Spain, France and Scotland.

For more information on visiting Antelope Island State Park, contact the Davis Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at visitdavisarea.com or State Parks at stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island.