Press Release:  

Travel & Tourism Seminar – ‘Know India’ held on 8 March 2017

The High Commission of India, Port Louis in collaboration with the Government of India Tourism Office, Johannesburg organised a ‘Know India’ travel and tourism seminar at the Intercontinental Hotel, Balaclava on 8 March 2017. 

The India Toursim Office, Johannesburg made a presentation on the travel and tourism sector of India focusing on the wide range of special tourism products being offered by India. A short documentary titled ‘A day in the life of India’ which briefly explores many aspects of Indian life like democracy, education, innovation, start-ups, industry, medical tourism, space research, elections, cultural heritage, etc was also screened. 

In his address, the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Abhay Thakur, spoke about the unique historic, cultural and ancestral linkages between India and Mauritius and the close contact maintained by the people of both countries. He highlighted that global foreign tourist arrivals in both India and Mauritius are growing by over 10.5 % annually. Moreover, Indian tourist arrivals in Mauritius and Mauritian tourist arrivals in India are growing in the range of 15%. Their growing tourism markets have created new opportunities for the travel and tourism industry on both sides. He outlined recent initiatives by Government of India like the e-Tourist Visa facility and the special dispensation for Mauritius for OCI cards. High Commissioner also mentioned schemes of special significance to Mauritians such as the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme and the Swadesh Darshan scheme and spoke about the potential of India as a holistic health and wellness tourism destination. 

Hon’ble Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport and Acting Minister of Tourism, Mr. Nandcoomar Bodha, graced the occasion as Chief Guest. In his address, the Hon’ble Minister spoke about the special bond that Mauritians share with India and their desire to explore the extraordinary tourism potential of India. He congratulated the vibrant ‘Incredible India’ tourism promotion campaign. He said that India and Mauritius could consider bilateral cooperate for twinning of tourism destinations as well as cooperation with mainland African countries for triangular tourism. 

About 100 participants from the travel and tourism industry of Mauritius attended the event.

Port Louis
9 March 2017

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