India, US to have bilateral meeting on tourism during G20 events in Goa

India and the US will have a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 events in Goa, during which both sides will try to enhance cooperation in the tourism sector. Officials gave this information on Sunday. The bilateral meeting is being held at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a state visit to the US. Around 75 delegates have so far registered for the G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting and around 150 delegates have registered for the G20 Tourism Ministerial meeting, which is scheduled to be held here from May 19- To be held till June 22. Asked whether BRICS countries, including Russia and China, have registered, he said, “Russia has registered, but China has not yet registered.”It is not immediately known whether China will participate in the two major events to be held in Goa.

China did not participate in the third meeting of the TWG held in Srinagar in May. Asked if representatives of the US and India will hold a bilateral meeting during the G20 events here, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Rakesh Verma said, “The US delegation will hold a bilateral meeting with India.” Officials said the bilateral meeting will be held on 21 It is expected to happen in June. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden. Union Tourism Secretary V Vidyavati told reporters here that the fourth and last G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting being held in Goa is the “best grand finale” of tourism meetings held so far.“It is taking place in one of the best locations in Goa, which is rich in cultural heritage and natural beauty. Apart from the TWG, there will be other events and at the end of both the meetings, the Goa Framework for Tourism and the Tourism Action Plan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will come out.”

Vidyavati said that successful deliberations by the TWG would spur economic growth, preserve cultural heritage and promote sustainable development. Under India’s G20 ‘Tourism Track’, the TWG is working on five interlinked priority areas – Green Tourism, Digitization, Skills, Tourism MSMEs (Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises) and Destinations. These priorities are key to accelerating the transformation of the tourism sector and achieving the 2030 SDG targets. He said that in addition, there will be a ministerial communique that will be issued at the end of the Tourism Working Group and other consultations that will reaffirm the Goa Framework. Officials said delegates have started arriving in Goa since Saturday to attend the fourth TWG and G20 tourism ministerial meeting. He said the objective of the TWG meeting is to discuss and address global tourism challenges and opportunities.

Disclaimer:IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.