India and Italy have concluded the 2nd India-Italy Joint Working Group (JWG) on Tourism with an agreement to strengthen bilateral tourism cooperation across data exchange, destination promotion, cine-tourism, destination twinning, skilling and capacity building, and Business-to-Business (B2B) engagement.
The meeting, held on September 29, was co-chaired by Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Ms. Emanuela Tripi, Secretary-General, Ministry of Tourism, Italy. Discussions focused on identifying practical areas of cooperation and mechanisms to take the partnership forward.
As an outcome of the meeting, India and Italy agreed to establish focused technical groups and designate points of contact for the identified areas. The mechanism is expected to support continued coordination between relevant stakeholders and facilitate the implementation of agreed areas of cooperation.
The two sides discussed opportunities to strengthen tourism data exchange, promote lesser-known destinations and develop cooperation in cine-tourism. Destination twinning, along with initiatives for skilling and capacity building, was also identified as an area for further collaboration. Enhanced B2B engagement was discussed to encourage greater interaction between tourism stakeholders from both countries.
The meeting also placed emphasis on the upcoming India-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism 2027, which is intended to further promote cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries.
The discussions brought together representatives from India’s Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of External Affairs, Embassy of India in Rome and Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), alongside representatives from Italy’s Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Embassy of Italy in New Delhi and ENIT, the Italian National Tourism Board.
The outcomes of the JWG provide a framework for continued institutional and industry-level engagement between India and Italy as both countries prepare for enhanced tourism and cultural cooperation in 2027.
