The India- IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) Cruise Tourism conference came to an end in New Delhi on 14 June 2024. The objective of the two day conference was to bring together government and business stakeholders from IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners to boost the cruise tourism sector and related sectors in the Indian Ocean region.
The conference aimed to increase cooperation, knowledge sharing, and strategic partnerships amongst the partner countries so as to maximise the potential of cruise, coastal, and marine tourism within the IORA region.
The India-IORA Tourism Conference was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Indian Ocean Rim Association Secretariat and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
The two-day India-IORA Cruise Tourism Conference was organised at the Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, on the 13th and 14th of June 2024.
According to the External Affairs Ministry the expert and representative from the member states of IORA including Bangladesh, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Seychelles and Tanzania participated in the conference..
The Indian Ocean Rim Association(IORA) was formed as an intergovernmental body to promote regional cooperation amongst the countries lying along the Indian Ocean rim.It was set up in 1997 and India has been the founding member of the IORA.
In 2015, the IORA was granted observer status in the United Nations General Assembly and the African Union.
At present, 23 countries are members of the IORA. These countries are India, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, France, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Woman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The Indian Ocean Rim Association has 12 dialogue partners. They are China, Egypt, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Member countries hold the IORA chairmanship for two years. Currently, Sri Lanka is the chairman for 2023-25. India will take over from Sri Lanka as the chairman for 2025-27.
Permanent Secretariat of IORA: Mauritius