Tourism identified as trade link between NE India and SE Asia

NEW DELHI, Feb 17 : “Tourism is the most effective way to increase the still negligible trade between India’s northeastern region and Vietnam. Northeast India and Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia are so near, yet so far,” Jarnail Singh, Secretary of the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) said at the three day ASEAN North East India Business and Trade Opportunities Summit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on February 14. The three-day summit, the first of its kind in Viet-nam, opened on February 12 was organized by the Minis-try of DoNER in association with the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Indian Diplo-matic Mission in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industries bringing toge-ther Government and busi- ness delegates from South-east Asia and eight North- eastern Indian States. ASEAN North East India Investment and Trade Opportunities Summit came as part of India’s “Look East policy” to build closer ties with Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Jarnail Singh said the conference focused on tou-rism as the key to increasing Indian-Vietnamese trade. Thirteen tourism compa-nies attending the con- ference showed interest in future cooperation. Rajeev Singh, Secretary General of the Indian Cham-ber of Commerce, said a key challenge to tourism and trade is the northeastern re-gion’s lack of “proper road connectivity” to Myanmar and the rest of Southeast Asia.“With good roads; transportation time and cost will be reduced by half and trade will go on,” he said.. Dhananjay Kumar, Chairman of the Indian Business Chamber in Viet-nam, said trade with ASEAN accounts for just 9 percent of India’s overall trade, and with Vietnam, a mere 0.8 percent. A lot of opportu-nities are thus to be seized, he added. “The Northeast region of India has a lot of com-monalities with development of the Me-kong sub-region.Given the proximity and land con-nectivity to Southeast Asia, the region can be a connec-ting link between India and ASEAN countries,” said Dr. Govinda Rao, Director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and member of the Econo-mic Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister on February 13.He was speaking on the second day of the Summit, which took place in HCM City, Vietnam.The eight states in the region, a reservoir of rich natural resources and a beautiful amalgamation of different peoples and cul-tures, are ripe investment destinations with a lot in common with the Greater Mekong Sub-region, accor-ding to Rao.