India plans measures to attract more Chinese tourists

The central government is taking all measures to attract more Chinese tourists to the country. The Tourism Ministry has planned a series of roadshows, a dedicated tourist office, and is also training Mandarin-speaking guides to attract more Chinese tourists. The ministry is also planning to host Chinese media in India for the purpose.

“Tourist arrivals from China will be our major focus area in the coming months. China sends out 144 million tourists in a year (as per their 2017 figures), while India gets only 2.5 lakh of those. This needs to change,” Tourism Minister K J Alphons, who is leaving for China on Tuesday told IE. To turn around these figures, the ministry has set up a dedicated tourist office in Beijing, which, Alphons says, will be functional this month.

The ministry has planned roadshows in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou between August 28 and September 1. “The target is to bring at least 10 per cent of 144 million Chinese tourists in the next five years,” said the minister.

This is the second time within four months that the minister is visiting China, to focus on attracting tourists. In May, Alphons had visited Wuhan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference on tourism, and assessed the market personally. “I visited China under the Prime Minister’s instruction as it will be a major focus area to promote tourism,” he had said.

Short promotional videos have been made in Mandarin to promote themes of Indian tourism – such as yoga, wildlife, ayurveda and luxury. Besides, the Buddhist Circuit is being highlighted in a big way, said a ministry official. Several Chinese journalists and lifestyle bloggers will also be hosted by the ministry for week-long stays in the course of the next year.

With inputs from Indian Express