The gap between inbound and outbound tourists flow between India and China should be bridged: Dr Mahesh Sharma
A high level delegation headed by Mr Chen Wu, Governor of Guangxi Autonomous Region of China met the Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi today. The agenda of the meeting was to promote tourism between India and Guangxi, China. The other members of Chinese delegation included Mr Mo Gongming, Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhang Autonomous Region and Yao Jing, Minister Counselor, Embassy of China and senior officials of Tourism of Guangxi among others.
Dr Mahesh Sharma said that the meeting is a great occasion as the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi is slated to begin his China visit from tomorrow and a bilateral agreement on tourism is expected to be signed between India and China during this visit. The bilateral relations of India with various countries have reached a new height after the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister to various countries and this is expected to give a big boost to tourism in the country, he added.
India’s ranking in WEF Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, 2015 has also moved up to 52nd this year from 65th position in 2013. India has made serious efforts in many areas including improving infrastructure, safety and security and cleanliness to promote tourism. Also, this year is being observed as a Visit India Year in China. All these developments should encourage the people from China to visit India for tourism purpose, the Minister added. India will be happy to host the tour and travel operators of China to India during the Visit India Year in 2016, who can visit here and explore the potential of India as a tourist destination as well as promote the tourist destinations of China.
The Minister said that there is a huge gap between the inbound and outbound tourist flow between India and China. Last year 6,76,000 Indians have visited China , while only 1,74,000 Chinese had visited India in the same year, which shows a huge gap between inbound and outbound tourist flow between the two countries. Dr Mahesh Sharma also mentioned that India is in the process of developing various circuits out of which Buddhist Circuit and Himalayan Circuit can be of great interest to the Chinese tourists who can visit India. India is also organising an exhibition of contemporary art in Shanghai in November this year. By taking such initiatives, both countries can promote cultural ties to help boost the growth of tourism, the Minister explained.
Mr. Chen Wu, Governor, Guangxi, China said that they will make efforts to promote the Chinese tourist flow to India. He said that Guangxi is a beautiful region with a unique natural beauty and an interesting coastline. He requested Tourism Minister of India, Dr Mahesh Sharma to work towards promoting tourism to Guangxi. He also mentioned that The Tourism Expo is also being organised on 29th May this year in Guilin, which can provide India a platform to promote tourism. Dr Mahesh Sharma said that the Government will surely put Guangxi on the tourist map and help promote tourism to the region . The Minister said India values its relations with China since both countries share a long history of tradition in the world. China is also a good example of preservation of its natural resources and beauty and can act as a role model for India, he added.
Dr Lalit Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and other senior officials of Ministry of Tourism were also present in the meeting.
NB/NK/PB