Rome, May 17 (IANS) India’s cultural and tourist attractions are being promoted across Rome through popular ‘Hop On Hop Off’ buses, the Embassy of India in Rome said.

“‘Incredible India’ on the move in Rome, India’s cultural and tourist attractions are being promoted across Rome through popular ‘Hop On Hop Off’ buses,” the Embassy of India in Rome said on social media platform X on Saturday.

According to the Embassy, the campaign was flagged off by Deputy Chief of Mission Gaurav Gandhi.

‘Hop On Hop Off’ (HOHO) buses are red tourist buses that offer a panoramic tour of Rome with multilingual commentaries.

Tourists can hop on and hop off the buses as many times as they want.

The campaign was launched by the Indian Embassy ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Italy from May 19 to May 21.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting Italy at the invitation of PM Giorgia Meloni.

The Prime Minister had last visited Italy in June 2024 for the G7 Summit.

During the visit, PM Modi will call on the Italian President Sergio Mattarella and hold talks with Prime Minister Meloni.

The visit comes after intense leader-level engagement and is anchored by the Joint Strategic Plan of Action 2025-29, which serves as the operational roadmap for the partnership.

Italy increasingly views India not just as a market, but as a major power and an indispensable partner for Europe.

Italy’s championing of India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) as a founding member, with the Sparkle-Airtel Blue-Raman submarine cable to Genoa now activated, makes it the western anchor of the corridor.

IMEEC ensures not just stability of supply chains but also gives a boost to India’s energy security.

Italy is India’s fourth largest trading partner in the EU, with bilateral trade reaching $16.77 billion in 2025 and a target of €20 billion by 2029.

Tata Motors’ €3.8 billion acquisition of the Iveco Group is the largest Indian investment in Italy till date, while Italy has opened a SIMEST office in Delhi with a €500 million funding line, and SACE has added €200 million for SMEs.

The post-India-EU Free Trade Agreement environment unlocks fresh scale for both sides.

–IANS

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