You thought only students exchange notes and share their preparation strategies before their examinations? Well, it’s happening at the highest level now. It was the turn of international cities Delhi and London to exchange pleasantries and much more than that on Monday as London’s mayor and Delhi’s CM signed two pacts to enhance cooperation between the two cities. The tourism memorandum of understanding was signed in front of the 14-meter replica of Big Ben at Rajeev Gandhi Chowk (Connaught Place).

London and Delhi are both hosting major sporting events that may end up changing the very face of the respective tourism industries in the cities. Delhi hosts the 2010 Commonwealth Games while London will host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, both of which are high visibility sports events on the world sports radar. The hosting cities experience a lasting change after the huge games events are over, as the games help transform the city through the creation of jobs, infrastructure and tourism opportunities. Barcelona is a very good example of this, as the city hosted the 1992 Olympics and broke into the top 20 tourist destinations of the world after the event.

The Delhi and London authorities see it as the right time to cement ties between the two cities, where tourism is already seen as a critical part of the respective economies. Indian tourists to London are the biggest spenders from among the Asian countries. They also spend twice the average number of days in London than the average number of days spent by tourists from the world over.

Representatives of the premier football club, Chelsea, also accompanied the London delegation in the capacity of “London Ambassadors” and they met the senior officials of the All India Football Federation to get an insight into Indian football. The Chelsea representatives appreciated the fact that Delhiites were extremely knowledgeable about Chelsea and the Premier League in general.