India And Malaysia Forge Stronger Tourism Links With New Agreement

India and Malaysia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in the field of tourism, the Ministry of Tourism said in a statement on Friday.

Details of the MoU

The MoU was signed on August 20, 2024, between the Minister of Tourism and Culture from India, Ganjendra Singh Shekhawat, and the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Y B Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.

Both countries will cooperate in the promotion and marketing of tourism products and services as part of the objective of the memorandum. Efforts will be made to expand tourism research, training, and development, including exchange programs.

Key Objectives

As part of the objective of the MoU, India and Malaysia will encourage investment in tourism infrastructure, facilities, products, and services. Information will also be exchanged in the field of medical tourism, and stakeholders will be encouraged to promote the product.

READ MORE: Delhi Environment Minister Urges Centre To Discuss Cloud Seeding For Air Pollution

Under the MoU, the development of business tourism, which includes meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), will be prioritized. Promoting cooperation between tourism stakeholders, tour operators, travel agents, and the promotion and development of community-based tourism, eco-tourism, and responsible tourism are also part of the objective.

Tourism Statistics and Bilateral Relations

Malaysia is one of India’s important inbound tourist source markets. In the year 2022, over 2.5 lakh Malaysian tourists visited India.

On August 20, 2024, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, visited India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the meeting, both leaders encouraged the industry on both sides to further enhance bilateral trade sustainably for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Broader Bilateral Cooperation

During the meeting, discussions were held on the entire range of bilateral cooperation, including political, defense and security cooperation, economic and trade, digital technologies, startups, fintech, energy including renewables, healthcare, higher education, culture, tourism, and people-to-people relations, the Prime Minister’s Office had stated.

Additional MoUs

Apart from the MoU in the field of tourism, both countries signed MoUs for cooperation in the fields of recruitment, employment and repatriation of workers; Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicines; digital technologies; culture, public administration and governance reforms; youth and sports; and financial services between Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA) and International Financial Services Centres Authority, India (IFSCA), as per a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.

ALSO READ: India’s Maritime Revolution: Vadhavan Port Set To Propel Nation To Global Shipping Hub By 2030