The G20 Tourism Ministers Meeting held in Goa came to a successful conclusion on June 21. The member countries of the group identified five key priorities of the G20 tourism track, including green tourism, digitalisation, and destination management, which were endorsed by all member countries in order to achieve sustainable, resilient, and inclusive growth in the sector.
A Goa Roadmap and Action Plan and a ministerial outcome document was brought out at the end of the G20 ministerial meeting, which 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," said the Union Tourism Ministry in a tweet.
The ministerial meeting was attended by over 130 representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Russia, Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Oman, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and leading international organisations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the delegates to "Incredible India" in a taped video address.
According to official sources, the members reached a broad consensus on the Goa Roadmap and Action Plan, as well as the ministerial communique. Before the deliberations began, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy addressed the delegates. "Both deliverables of the G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting were welcomed by the G20 delegation," he said.
"Five interrelated 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," he later tweeted.
Meanwhile, several bilateral talks took place on the sidelines of the meeting, including those with the US, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia. 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.
The tourism ministry said that the 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.
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.
Another meeting was held 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, said the ministry.