ETW STAFF – Mumbai
The new office of ENIT was inaugurated by Daniele Mancini, the ambassador of Italy to India in Mumbai, India. Also present were Dr Giampaolo Cutillo, consul general of Italy in Mumbai; Dr Amedeo Scarpa, director of Italian Trade Commission, New Delhi; Dr Augusto di Giacinto, director Italian Trade Commission, Mumbai; Dr Giorgio Imparato, visa officer Mumbai and Simonetta Bartolomei, commercial attache from the Consulate General of Italy, Mumbai, and Murali Raghavan, COO, South Asia and CIS from VFS Global.
Speaking on the occasion, the ambassador said: “Undoubtedly, India today is an emerging and high potential tourism market and numbers from India are only set to increase in the years to come. The growing middle class of the country certainly multiplies this potential. Since its first presence in Mumbai, way back in 2001, ENIT has been instrumental in promoting Italy among the Indian tourists. In 2001, the number of Indian tourists visiting Italy stood at 69,000, which a decade later substantially increased to 2, 50,000. Therefore, tourism is a very important part of bilateral relations of Italy and India, and with the kind support of the Italian Ministry and VFS Global, ENIT once again looks forward to wooing Indian tourists and promoting Italy in the region.”
Salvatore Ianniello, representative ENIT in India stated, “Looking back at all that has been achieved by ENIT, we are looking forward to re-strengthening our past collaborations and looking for different ways in reaching out to people and adding value to our existing services and assistance. In this regard, you will soon find us on various social media domains such as Facebook, Twitter and shortly, a dedicated website for the Indian market will also be launched.”
Murali Raghavan, COO, South Asia and CIS, VFS Global said, “We feel proud to be associated with ENIT, and it is our privilege to assist them setup their India operations. In fact, in the spirit of our long standing partnership with the government of Italy, VFS Global has assisted ENIT with its office space and marketing and PR support. The opening of this new office is a promising beginning to attract more tourists and serve the potential Indian market.”
