Only three lakh Chinese tourists visited India in 2018

Kerala has become the first Indian State to be partnered with the China Ready programme, which has already been conducted in 48 countries, to increase footfalls from China which sends annually 150 million tourists across the world.

Kerala Tourism has joined hands with Welcome China, a government accredited initiative that works to help travel and tourism engage meaningfully with China, four years after the God’s Own Country commenced tourism promotion plans.

Despite the trade and cultural exchanges that span for centuries, China remains a less explored land in terms of attracting tourists.

The keenness shown by the China market all of a sudden has surprised the stake-holders of the tourism industry as a meagre number of three lakh Chinese tourists visited India in 2018.

Amid Kerala Tourism’s effort to woo more Chinese travellers to the State, a destination audit from Chinese tourist’s perspective to ascertain the attractiveness of the destination has commenced in Alappuzha, Thekkady, Munnar and Kochi.

Destination audit

Marcus Lee, chief executive officer, Welcome China, is in the State to do the destination audit that will last till October 5.

The workshop for travel and tourism trade held as part of designing a marketing strategy to attract the Chinese tourists was attended by 40 leading tour operators and hoteliers.

Kerala Tourism has provided ₹12 lakh for the audit, workshop and for providing inputs for the next one year, a senior tourism official said.

The four destinations were selected based on the groundwork done by Welcome China and the keenness of Chinese tourists to look for unique tourism product and destinations, he said.

China’s emerging class of young, educated and resource-rich travellers are passionate about visiting countries, especially in East and South Asia.

“Ninety per cent of the Chinese tourists are interested in martial arts and Kerala can latch on to it with Kalaripayattu and wellness product Ayurveda,” the official said.

For attracting the Chinese tourists, Kerala will have to overcome the scarcity of Mandarin-speaking guides and penetrate the social media.