New Delhi — India and Italy have agreed to deepen cooperation in tourism, with officials from both countries discussing areas including tourism data sharing, promotion of lesser-known destinations, film tourism, destination partnerships, workforce training and stronger business-to-business engagement.
The discussions took place during the second India-Italy Joint Working Group on Tourism, co-chaired by Indian Tourism Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar and his Italian counterpart, Emanuela Tripi.
As part of the meeting, the two sides agreed to establish technical groups and designate points of contact to advance specific areas of cooperation and maintain regular engagement among government and industry stakeholders.
The Indian delegation included representatives from the Ministries of Tourism, Culture and External Affairs, the Embassy of India in Rome and the Indian Association of Tour Operators. The Italian side included officials from the Ministries of Tourism and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Embassy in New Delhi and the Italian National Tourism Board.
Officials also discussed tourism initiatives connected with the proposed India-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism in 2027, which is expected to provide a platform for expanding cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries.
The meeting reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to strengthening institutional links and creating greater opportunities for cooperation between tourism industries in India and Italy.
The tourism talks come as the two countries continue to expand their broader bilateral relationship.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed to use the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement framework to support a goal of increasing bilateral trade to 20 billion euros by 2029.
The two leaders also welcomed growing cooperation between researchers and scientific institutions in India and Italy, including collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Italian Space Agency.
They called for closer cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals and other advanced technologies.
Modi and Meloni also highlighted the contribution of the Indian community in Italy and agreed to support greater mobility for students, researchers and academics. The two countries have agreed to mark 2027 as the Year of Culture and Tourism between India and Italy. (Source: IANS)
