India and Italy Expand Tourism Cooperation Ahead of 2027 Culture and Tourism Year

India and Italy have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in tourism, with both sides identifying new areas for collaboration ranging from cine-tourism and destination twinning to skilling, data exchange and stronger industry engagement.

The decisions emerged from the second India–Italy Joint Working Group on Tourism, held on September 29, 2026. The meeting was co-chaired by Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Emanuela Tripi, Secretary-General, Ministry of Tourism, Italy.

Wider Institutional Participation

The Indian side included representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of External Affairs, the Embassy of India in Rome and the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

The Italian delegation included senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi and ENIT, the Italian National Tourism Board.

The broad institutional participation reflected an effort to build tourism cooperation across government, cultural institutions and the travel industry rather than limiting engagement to official exchanges alone.

Focus on Lesser-Known Destinations

One of the key areas discussed was the promotion of lesser-known tourism destinations in both countries. India and Italy are home to globally recognised heritage and cultural centres, but both also possess a wide range of smaller towns, landscapes, heritage sites and regional tourism circuits that receive comparatively less international attention.

Closer cooperation in this area could help diversify tourism flows and create opportunities beyond established destinations. It can also encourage travellers to explore cultural, culinary, historical and natural attractions in regions that are not traditionally part of mainstream tourism itineraries.

Cine-Tourism and Destination Twinning

The two sides also discussed cine-tourism, an area that can connect filmmaking with destination promotion. Locations featured in films and television productions can significantly increase public interest in a destination and create new tourism demand.

India and Italy both have strong cinematic traditions and visually distinctive landscapes, creating scope for deeper cooperation between tourism agencies, film industries and local destinations.

Destination twinning was another area identified for collaboration. Such arrangements can bring together cities, heritage regions or tourism centres with shared cultural, architectural or historical characteristics and create structured exchanges around events, promotion, conservation and visitor experiences.

Tourism Data and Industry Cooperation

India and Italy agreed to explore greater exchange of tourism data, which can help both countries better understand visitor flows, travel patterns and market opportunities.

Better access to tourism data can support destination planning, marketing strategies and the development of products tailored to changing traveller preferences.

The meeting also placed emphasis on stronger Business-to-Business engagement. Greater interaction between tour operators, travel companies, destination management organisations and tourism service providers can help create more direct commercial linkages between the Indian and Italian tourism markets.

Skilling and Capacity Building

Skilling and capacity building formed another important part of the discussions. Tourism growth increasingly depends on the quality of services provided across hospitality, guiding, transportation, destination management and visitor experiences.

India and Italy can draw on each other’s experience in heritage tourism, hospitality, destination management and cultural tourism while developing training and capacity-building initiatives for professionals working across the sector.

Such cooperation can strengthen service quality while also creating new opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship in tourism-linked industries.

Technical Groups to Take Cooperation Forward

As a key outcome of the meeting, both sides agreed to establish focused technical groups and designate specific points of contact for the areas identified during the discussions.

This mechanism is intended to convert broad areas of cooperation into more structured follow-up work. Dedicated points of contact can also improve coordination between government agencies, tourism boards and industry stakeholders in both countries.

The creation of technical groups gives the bilateral tourism partnership a more operational framework and can help sustain engagement between formal Joint Working Group meetings.

India–Italy Year of Culture and Tourism 2027

The two sides also discussed tourism cooperation in the context of the proposed India–Italy Year of Culture and Tourism 2027.

The initiative can provide a broader platform for cultural exchanges, tourism promotion, heritage-related programmes and people-to-people engagement. Joint events, exhibitions, travel promotion and cultural showcases could further strengthen public awareness of the historical and contemporary connections between the two countries.

The proposed year also offers an opportunity to connect tourism with art, cuisine, heritage, cinema and regional culture, creating a more comprehensive framework for bilateral engagement.

Building Stronger Tourism Linkages

The second India–Italy Joint Working Group on Tourism has expanded the scope of bilateral cooperation from traditional tourism promotion towards more structured engagement involving data, industry partnerships, skills, cinema and destination development.

With technical groups and designated points of contact now planned, both countries have created a clearer mechanism for advancing these initiatives. The approach can strengthen institutional and industry linkages while giving India–Italy tourism cooperation greater momentum ahead of the proposed Year of Culture and Tourism in 2027.

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References

Press Information Bureau, Government of India — “India and Italy agree to strengthen bilateral cooperation in tourism,” September 29, 2026.

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Ministry of Tourism, Government of Italy.

ENIT — Italian National Tourism Board.

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