India to Showcase Rural and Archaeological Tourism at G-20 Meeting

February 4, 2023

Context:

The first tourism working group meeting of the G-20 nations is to be held at the Rann of Kutch, India from February 7th to 9th.

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Image Source: The Hindu

More on News:

Rural tourism and archaeological tourism will be the topics for two side events at the meeting.
India will showcase its success in these areas and highlight the most successful and innovative initiatives from various parts of the country.

Rural Tourism:

Ladpura Khas village of Madhya Pradesh was nominated as the Best Rural Tourism Village by the UNWTO.
The State government has developed homestays in the village under the Responsible Tourism Mission of the State.
India will also showcase the success of developing rural tourism products in and around Rann of Kutch and present the innovative model of community based Astrotourism in the Himalayas.
Nagaland’s Khonoma Village will present the model of Ecotourism Management Board that develops Rural Tourism Products and promotes responsible travel.

Archaeological Tourism:

India will showcase its success in archaeological tourism and discuss shared cultural heritage with the G-20 delegates.
The delegates will be taken to Dholavira, a heritage site that is the southern centre of the Harappan civilization.

Goa Roadmap and Action Plan:

The first tourism working group meeting in Kutch will also work on a Goa Roadmap and Action Plan for Tourism as a vehicle for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Conclusion:

The meeting will provide a vision, roadmap, and guidance for the accelerated growth of the tourism sector beyond the pandemic, based on the five key building blocks of Sustainability, Digitalization, Skills, MSMEs, and Destination management towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Additional Information:

History of the G20

Established in 1999 by finance ministers and central bank governors of seven countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, U.K., and U.S.)
The uniting factor was the 1997-98 financial crisis and its aftermath.
First annual meeting held in Berlin, Germany in 1999.
Elevated to the level of heads of government/state in 2008.

Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S. and the European Union.

Scope of the G20:

Initially focused on matters related to macroeconomics.
Agenda expanded to cover various issues such as trade, climate change, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, anti-corruption, etc.

Importance of the G20