Convergence — that is what Incredible India is seeking to bring into the increasingly digital campaigns to market the country to tourists. One of the objectives of the Incredible India 2.0 campaign is fostering engagement between Centre and state initiatives, as well as extensive collaborations with industry, to promote tourism. [...] The ministry is promoting a give-and-take approach. 

North Korea and Malaysia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on “culture, arts and heritage,” North Korean state media said on Thursday, renewing and building upon a previous agreement from 2002.

Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, the country is expecting to increase the number of tourism arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million by 2025. “The Iranian government is making every effort to use this opportunity to widen its relations with other nations and to boost Iran’s national and international power as well.”

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have sent their congratulations to the China-Australia Year of Tourism 2017, which was officially launched in Sydney on Sunday. In his congratulatory message, Li said people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the Chinese and Australian people is one of the important pillars supporting the development of bilateral relations.

The much-lauded ‘Responsible Tourism’ (RT) initiatives have won further recognition with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) describing them as a model for other tourist destinations across the world. The international tourism organisation also called for development of closer ties between Kerala Tourism and the UNWTO, emphasising the importance of further association to help take forward the message of sustainable tourism.

Avcı will meet his Israeli counterpart Miri Regev before the opening of the trade show and will discuss culture and tourism cooperation between the two countries. He will also meet with representatives of the Turkish and Israeli tourism sector, in a bid to end the decline in the number of tourists from Israel. 

Nigerian investors are also present in the ICT sector and private business, with a target of expanding investments to tourism, telecommunication, cultural exchanges, and oil and gas. In other partnerships, Nigeria has been offering support to Rwanda in training of military personnel.

With six million Chinese tourists expected to travel abroad over the Lunar New Year break, China’s Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 holiday is crucial for Taiwan tour agency operator Li Chi-yueh, who relies on mainland visitors for a third of his revenue. [...] Though Tsai says Taiwan wants peace with China, Beijing suspects she seeks formal independence. “China uses its sightseeing tourists as a diplomatic weapon,” said Li.