Thaw in India-China ties set to boost foreign tourist arrivals

With a visible thaw in the India-China relationship and direct flight resumption between the two countries likely soon, the Indian travel and hospitality sector has turned bullish, preparing for higher demand of foreign tourists in the coming months.

- AKSHARA SRIVASTAVA & ROSHNI SHEKHAR

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) anticipates at least a 20-25 per cent boost to the tourism business from China in the next 12-18 months. But this would be possible if visa facilitation and promotional campaigns are well coordinated.

While the Centre has not officially announced resumption of direct flights, Ravi Gosain, president, IATO, and Rajiv Mehra, general secretary, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), said they expect this to start by October.

"Travel aggregators and tour operators are actively preparing curated itineraries, improving digital booking systems, and enhancing their partnerships with Chinese counterparts to cater to the expected demand," said Gosain.

Mehra said that Indian carriers are preparing to start their operations as soon as the government announces it.

He said that with foreign traffic from Europe being down by 5-8 per cent in 2025, the possible resumption of direct flights will help India cross its pre-Covid foreign tourist arrivals.

According to the latest data by the Ministry of Tourism, India had recorded 626,000 foreign tourist arrivals in April - down by 19.2 per cent compared to 2019.

India had received around 300,000 Chinese tourists in 2019, after which Covid prompted countries to close their borders.

However, the two most populous nations in the world did not lift travel restrictions for each others' citizens.