SCO member states adopted a Joint Action Plan on tourism cooperation

The Meeting of Heads of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Tourism Administrations at Kashi (Varanasi) witnessed the SCO Tourism Ministers finalising and approving the Joint Action Plan for tourism.

The approved plan prepared for implementing the agreement between the Governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States on the Development of Cooperation in Tourism will have the prioritised components including promotion of the SCO tourism brand, promotion of the cultural heritage of the SCO member states in tourism, sharing and exchange of information and digital technologies in tourism, promotion of mutual cooperation in medical and health tourism and improving the quality of services.

The meeting at Kashi, which was chaired by G Kishan Reddy, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India along with Arvind Singh, Tourism Secretary, Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, also adopted the Action Plan for “Year of Tourism Development in the SCO Space in 2023.” The document identified a list of activities and events to promote and showcase Tourism products of SCO member states.

According to an officially issued statement, the Joint Action Plan will allow the member countries to undertake various activities such as SCO tourism exhibition, SCO Food Festival, Webinar & Seminar on tourism, conference and expert session on promotion and development of tourism in the region.

A joint statement by the Head of the Tourism Administrations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries was also issued post the meeting held on March 17, 2023. Besides, four bilateral meetings of India with China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan were held. The senior officials from these countries, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, departments of tourism from the SCO member countries, representatives from the secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation were also a part of the meeting.

The SCO delegates also got to experience the handloom traditions of the region along with the Buddhist heritage preserved at the Trade Facilitation Centre at Sarnath. They were also taken to sacred Buddhist sites of Dhamek Stupa and Mulgandh Kuti Vihar Temple, besides a calming yoga session and cultural evening exclusively organised for them.

The SCO Heads meeting was preceded by two Expert Working Group (EWG) meetings held under the Chairmanship of India including the recent held on March 14 and 15, 2023 in Kashi.

Kashi, which has also been declared as the First Tourism and Cultural Capital of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, is expected to get greater prominence in the global tourist map through this recognition. The next meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of Tourism Administrations will be held in Kazakhstan in 2024. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation founded on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan).