On 9 January 2015, the Indian Ministry of Tourism and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy met for the 7th Indo-German Joint Working Group on Tourism. The meeting took place in New Delhi, India.
Some of the key issues covered during the meeting were:
- Exchange of experience in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management,
- Cooperation in human resource development,
- Safety and security for tourists in India,
- Investment in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
As one of the key members of the delegation, iMOVE delivered a presentation about cooperation in human resource development. iMOVE stated the growing importance and recognition of the TVET sector in India. This is leading to growing interest and strengthened relationships between India and Germany in the area of skill development.
With the tourism industry's contribution to India's GDP accounting as 6.8 per cent and being the third largest foreign exchange earner for the country, it is now looking towards skilling its youth in the tourism sector. India has already invested in about 21 government-run hotel management and catering technology institutes as well as 14 food craft institutes to impart specialised training in hospitality and catering.
Besides iMOVE the following representatives took part in the 7th Indo German Joint Working Group on Tourism:
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of India
- Ministry of Interior, Government of India
- Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India
- Ministry of Culture, Government of India
- Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), India
- Federation of Indian Association in Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), India
- The Federal German Government Embassy in India, Germany
- Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), Germany
- German Travel Association (DRV), Germany
- German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy - The Tourism Policy Division