Tehan-Goyal sign MoU on tourism cooperation
The Australian and Indian Ministers have reached an understanding to finalize an interim agreement in 30 days and sign it by March 2022, for concluding a broader Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in 12 months thereafter.
The interim agreement should include goods, services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, Customs procedures as well as legal and institutional issues, said Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal following a meeting with the Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan on 11 Feb 2022.
Both Ministers agreed on the need for a balanced agreement that encourages expanded trade and investment flows to the benefit of both of the economies, and reflects a shared commitment to the rules-based international trading system.
The Ministers also agreed to expeditiously resolve tax-related issues faced by Indian software firms in Australia.
Tehan expressed confidence that the interim agreement would be a significant milestone in the relationship between the two countries. He said that the warmth of the relationship between the two nations and the honesty and transparency with which the negotiations happened would certainly help build very strong and robust economic ties.
Tehan and Goyal also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation on 11 February 2022 in New Delhi, aiming to enhance cooperation and encourage the expansion of bilateral relations in tourism.
It will facilitate the exchange of information and data related to tourism, Cooperation between tourism stakeholders, particularly hotels and tour operators, Cooperation and exchanges between training and education providers in tourism and hospitality, Investment in the tourism and hospitality sectors, Visits of tour operators and wholesalers, media and opinion makers, High quality, safe, ethical and sustainable tourism development, Interest in major cultural, artistic and sporting events, Opportunities for traveler education on applicable laws, rules and instructions in each other’s country and Enhanced tourism engagement in multilateral fora.
Australia is one of the most important tourism generating markets for India (ranked 4th in terms of Foreign Tourist Arrivals to the country in 2019 and contributing 3.4% in the total tourism share of foreign tourists in the country). The signing of MoU will be instrumental in increasing tourists’ arrival from this important source market.
Previous India and Australia MoU, signed on 18 Nov 2014, had expired in 2019. The MoU facilitated the promotion of tourist traffic between the two countries.
In 2019, 367,241 Australian tourists visited India, up from 293,625 in 2016.
Likewise, 589,539 Indian tourists visited Australia in 2019, up from 262,250 in 2016. fiinews.com
