As the G20 Tourism Ministers Meeting successfully ended in Goa on Wednesday, five key priorities of the G20 tourism track, including green tourism, digitalisation and destination management, have been endorsed by all countries of the group for sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth in the sector, officials have said.
At the end of the meeting, a Goa Roadmap and Action Plan and a ministerial outcome document came out.
The meeting was preceded by the Tourism Working Group Meeting.
"G20 Tourism Ministers Meeting successfully concludes at Goa. Strong support for the five key inter-related priorities for sustainable, resilient and inclusive tourism," the Union Tourism Ministry later tweeted.
All about the meeting
About 130 delegates from countries including the US, the UK, Spain, South Africa, Russia, Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Oman, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and top international organisations took part in the ministerial meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the delegates via a recorded video message.
What did the tourism minister say?
Besides PM Modi, Union Tourism Ministry G Kishan Reddy addressed the delegates before the deliberations began.
"Both the deliverables of the G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting were welcomed by the G20 delegation," he said.
He later tweeted, "Five inter-related key priorities of the G20 Tourism track of green tourism, digitisation, destination management, skills and tourism MSMEs were endorsed by all G20 countries for achieving sustainable, resilient and inclusive tourism."
Bilateral talks
Meanwhile, several bilateral talks took place on the sidelines of the meeting, including with the US, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia, officials said.
"Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Yesso Naik held a bilateral meeting with Brian Beall, Director of National Travel and Tourism Office, United States of America, on the sidelines of the fourth Tourism Working Group and Ministerial Meeting," India's Tourism Ministry tweeted.
They held fruitful discussions on a broad range of topics, including data sharing, investments, and knowledge transfer. The parties agreed to institutionalise mechanisms to facilitate the skilling of hospitality professionals, it said.
Naik also held a meeting with Eduardo Uziel, the ambassador of Brazil to India, on the sidelines of the Tourism Working Group and Ministerial Meeting, the Union Tourism ministry said.
"The talks brought to focus the strong cultural exchanges that have been instrumental in strengthening the relations. The Ambassador congratulated India for its stewardship and agreed to collaborate on mutual promotional measures," it tweeted.
Naik also held a meeting with Michiel Sweers, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the Netherlands.
"The parties appreciated India's stewardship of the G20 Presidency and the deliberations held during the Goa Tourism working group," the ministry tweeted.
