Balearic Islands pursue tourist industry openings with India

PALMA
THE Balearic Islands took a step closer to promoting its tourist offer in India yesterday when regional President Francesc Antich met up in Palma with the Indian Ambassador to Spain, Sujaha Mehta.

The Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Roses was also present at the meeting at the offices of the Consulat de Mar, in which openings for tourist business that could be of interest to an Indian client market were explored.

Both Antich and Mehta confirmed the possibility of tourist firms setting up business in India. Antich claimed there was currently a potential market there of 5 million tourists which not only “has potential” but which “continues to grow.” “Balearic businesses have companies all over the world and as such are pioneers in the tourist industry,” affirmed Antich. He acknowledged that India has the largest amount of engineers skilled in technology in the world, and this in itself, said Antich, could be of interest to the Balearic Islands. The Ambassador gave assurances that firms in India had the skills and know-how and would be open to collaboration with Majorca.

Jose Luis Roses explained after the meeting that over the coming months, experts in India are to provide information to Balearic businesses on legislation and tax, enabling them to gain a foothold on the tourist industry ladder in India. “The spending power of people in India is gradually on the rise,” he claimed.

Prior to these discussions, Mehta met separately with Antich to approach the subject of rescue efforts which have been taking place to find Majorcan-born Lourdes Morro who disappeared on 6th August in the Indian region of Ladakh.