Tourism Ministers from India, Brazil and South Africa have met to discuss ways of reigniting the sector following the global impact of the coronavirus on the industry.
The ministers at virtual meeting held under the umbrella of IBSA: (India, Brazil, and South Africa), a trilateral, developmental initiative between the three governments emphasised the need to strengthen cooperation amongst each other.
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According to transcontinentaltimes.com, India organised the IBSA (India, Brazil, and South Africa) Tourism Ministers’ virtual meeting. The Minister of Tourism of India, Shri G. Kishan Reddy; the Minister of Tourism of the Federative Republic of Brazil, H.E. Mr. Gilson Machado Neto and the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Mr. Fish Amos Mahlalela, met through video conferencing under India’s IBSA Chairship on 12 August 2021.
The IBSA Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was organised to promote tourism cooperation among the member states and reviewed the intra IBSA Tourism cooperation.
During the virtual meeting, the Minister for Tourism, Shri G Kishan Reddy highlighted the aggressive vaccination program of the Government of India which has completed over 500 million doses of vaccine, making it the 2nd largest country in the world. The Minister emphasised the importance of domestic tourism in reigniting the tourism economy as it can prepare the domestic tourism industry for the arrival of international visitors.
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The IBSA Tourism Ministers’ Meeting recognised the importance of strengthening cooperation in tourism to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector. The Ministers resolved to work together to realise the full potential of IBSA countries through cooperation in the tourism sector.
The significant aspect of the meeting was the adoption of the IBSA Tourism Ministers Joint Statement, an outcome document on cooperation and promotion for the speedy recovery of travel and tourism. The Ministers also agreed to implement various tourism activities to be actioned by respective member countries.
IBSA is a trilateral, developmental initiative between the Government of India, The Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, and The Government of the Republic of South Africa to promote South-South cooperation and exchange.
The aim of the IBSA Tripartite Agreement is for strengthening relations between the member countries for economic development and for promoting cooperation in the field of tourism and expansion of tourism relations with a view to understand and appreciate each other’s history, culture, and way of life.
