The first Indo-Italian Tourism Promotion Forum took place over the weekend in Milan with a meeting between the Italy-based Indian Tourism Representation and Indian promoters, including Air India and Jet Airways. Presiding over the meeting was the Indian ambassador, Debabrata Saha, S.K. Verma, the consul general in Milan and Gobind C. Bhuyan, director of India Tourism Milan.
The ambassador pointed out the difference in tourism numbers between the two countries; while an increasing number of Indian tourists were arriving in Italy, the same could not be said for travel in the opposite direction. “We are not yet to the levels of China,” the ambassador said,” but the growing middle-class multiplies their potential, and we welcome the fact that our fellow citizens do deserve to benefit from the attractions of the world and in particular those offering Italy.
“Advertising has an important role and our driving theme, ‘Incredible !ndia,’ has an important role in promoting tourism. Although it is difficult to determine the factors that stimulate the desire to visit a country, we believe that advertising encourages this. The Italian tourism potential is also highly respected, for its travellers are considered among the most generous in the world, with buyers spending up to $250 per capita per day.”
He added that the meeting was important to address “the causes of the unsatisfactory contribution of tourists from Italy to India, and studying and implementing corrective measures to improve bilateral ties between the two countries.”
