Latest news with #FederationofAssociationsinIndianTourism&Hospitality
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Business Standard
24-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Spiritual circuits to gain as India opens doors to Chinese tourists
The Indian tourism sector has cheered the government's move to resume issuing visas to Chinese nationals after a hiatus of five years, while calling for 'concentrated efforts' to attract tourists from the neighbouring country, who had formed 27 per cent of the total foreign tourist footfall to India in 2019. 'It is a good move. China is one of our major trade partners, and tourism, which fosters people to people interaction, could lead to greater cooperation and understanding. But mere liberalisation of the visa regime is not enough. There should be a concentrated effort to create and actively promote itineraries and experiences geared to attract Chinese tourists,' said Ajay Prakash, vice president of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). India had received around 300,000 Chinese tourists in 2019, after which the Covid-19 pandemic prompted countries to close borders. 'Chinese tourists accounted for nearly 27 per cent of total foreign tourist arrivals to India in 2019, and we are very glad to welcome this move from the government as China is an important source market for the country,' said Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which has been pushing for this for the past three years. In 2018, a survey conducted by and Chinese International Travel Monitor, said that Delhi and Mumbai were the top most visited Indian cities for Chinese tourists. However, the Taj Mahal in Agra took the cake as the most favoured site. 'Chinese tourists mostly used to visit in big groups and enjoyed the variety of experiences that India offers. The golden triangle, made up of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, was among the most sought after tours from these groups,' said a tour operator who did not wish to be named. Now, with the evolution of spiritual tourism in the country, the Buddhist spiritual corridors coming up in Bihar, connecting the ancient Vishnupad and Mahabodhi temples, there will be heightened interest from the Chinese traveller, say industry experts. 'With regional tourism now regaining momentum post-Covid, we believe the restoration of visas for Chinese tourists is critical to revive inbound growth,' Gosain added. The Embassy of India in China announced on Wednesday that Chinese nationals can apply for Indian visas from Thursday (July 24, 2025) after completing an online application and obtaining an appointment at the Indian Embassy in Beijing and the consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou. This move comes on the heels of China resuming the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in June this year.
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Business Standard
24-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
India's spiritual circuits to benefit as Chinese tourists make a comeback
Indian tour operators are cheering the government's move to issue tourist visas to Chinese citizens for the first time in five years – a sign of thawing relations between the two nations. 'It is a good move. China is one of our major trade partners, and tourism, which fosters people-to-people interaction, could lead to greater cooperation and understanding. But mere liberalisation of the visa regime is not enough. There should be a concentrated effort to create and actively promote itineraries and experiences geared to attract Chinese tourists,' said Ajay Prakash, vice president of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). India had received around 300,000 Chinese tourists in 2019, after which the Covid-19 pandemic prompted countries to close off their borders. However, the two most populous nations in the world did not lift travel restrictions for each other's citizens. 'Chinese tourists accounted for nearly 27 per cent of total foreign tourist arrivals to India in 2019, and we are very glad to welcome this move from the government as China is an important source market for the country,' said Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which has been pushing for this for the past three years. In 2018, a survey conducted by the Chinese International Travel Monitor revealed that Delhi and Mumbai were among the top visited Indian cities for Chinese tourists. However, the Taj Mahal in Agra was the most favoured site to visit. 'Chinese tourists mostly used to visit in big groups and enjoyed seeing the variety of experiences that India offers. The Golden Triangle – made up of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra – was among the most sought-after tours from these groups,' said a tour operator who did not wish to be named. Now, with the evolution of spiritual tourism in the country, the Buddhist spiritual corridors coming up in Bihar, connecting the ancient Vishnupad and Mahabodhi temples, are set to see heightened interest from Chinese travellers, say industry experts. The Embassy of India in China announced on Wednesday that visas can be applied for starting Thursday (July 24, 2025) after completing an online application and obtaining an appointment at the Indian Embassy in Beijing and the consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou. This came after China resumed the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in June this year. As many as 750 pilgrims were selected from 5,500 applicants. Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar had also travelled to China in July and met his counterpart Wang Yi, along with other national leaders, including President Xi Jinping. These steps have been instrumental in this move, say industry experts, adding that the move will help in.
