India and Malaysia Ink MoU to Boost Tourism Cooperation

India and Malaysia have signed a MoU to enhance collaboration in tourism, focusing on promotion, investment, and development. This agreement aims to bolster tourism products and services, research, and business tourism, fostering better bilateral relations.

India and Malaysia have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening bilateral ties in the tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism announced on Friday. The agreement was signed on August 20, 2024, by India's Minister of Tourism and Culture, Ganjendra Singh Shekhawat, and Malaysia's Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Y B Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.

The new partnership will focus on joint promotion and marketing of tourism products and services, expanding tourism research, and development. Both nations will encourage investments in tourism infrastructure, exchange programs, and medical tourism promotion. Efforts will also prioritize the development of business tourism, including meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE).

Malaysia remains a significant inbound tourist source for India, with over 2.5 lakh Malaysian visitors in 2022. During Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim's recent visit to India, he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed a wide spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including tourism. Additional MoUs were signed covering areas such as employment, traditional medicine, digital technologies, and financial services, among others.

(With inputs from agencies.)