Chennai: Not just the Chinese gadgets or toys that is flooding the Indian market, Chinese find India an ideal destination for leisure travel, more so due to the diverse attractions the country offers.
From seekers of knowledge since the times of Fa-Hien, Hiuan-Tsang and I-Tsing, the modern travellers from China are more attracted to India’s local cuisine, rich history and heritage. Traditional handlooms, craft and shopping markets make India an appealing destination.
More than half of the Chinese travellers are visiting India for leisure. This is attributed to India’s local cuisine (30%), rich history and heritage (25%) and the traditional handlooms, craft and shopping markets (25%), which make India an appealing destination to experience its local culture. Travel brag moments and selfies were a huge part of the Chinese millennial travel experience in 2017, with 63 % using the reverse camera angle to boost those likes and build their social brand.
India’s picturesque towns replete with natural beauty (62%), indigenous local food (49%) and vibrant local culture (40%) found their way to most selfie-worthy moments for Chinese travellers when exploring India, according to Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM), a report by Hotels.com to understand the Chinese traveller trends.
“We know from the CITM report that Chinese travellers feel comfortable and most welcome in destinations when shop assistants speak Mandarin, Chinese mobile wallet is accepted, and there is signage they can understand,” says Johan Svanstrom, President, Hotels.com.
Another important aspect in mapping the growth of Chinese tourist traveling in India, as per another study, is to identify the places they find fascinating. Sawai Madhopur, Havelock Island, Madurai, Kochi, and Trivandrum are among the exotic destinations that grew the most in terms of year-on-year internet searches.
Taj Mahal. Tirumala Balaji Temple, Dudhsagar Falls, Ramoji Film City, Kerala Backwaters, and Athirapally Waterfall respectively are the most visited tourist destinations in the country.
About 2.4 lakh travellers from China visited India last year. The Union Tourism Ministry, which has started evincing interest in the Chinese market, has planned to lure 14.4 lakh Chinese visitors to the country by 2020.
Attracting tourists
From knowledge seekers to lovers of local cuisine, history & heritage
traditional handlooms, craft and shopping markets, too, lure them. Madurai, among Indian cities, attracts the most
