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 neighboring country, who had formed 27 percent of the total foreign tourist footfall to India in 2019.

- AKSHARA SRIVASTAVA

"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 liberalization 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.