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Riding on the early success of a high-voltage ‘Visit Kerala’ campaign, Kerala Tourism has embarked on an aggressive drive to tap the vast Chinese market, the highest in the world, to boost foreign tourist arrivals in the state.
Leading Chinese outbound tour operators have shown strong interest in Kerala at the Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE) 2015, in the Chinese capital. The sprawling Kerala Tourism pavilion themed on backwaters and 'Kalaripayattu' was a huge draw among the visitors to BITE, the leading Asian travel and tourism fair.
“We are encouraged by the tremendous response from the Chinese tourism industry. Considering that it was the first ever participation of Kerala Tourism in BITE, it gives us a lot of confidence for the future," said Mr. A.P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.
A highlight of the occasion was the invitation from the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), the global tourism body that aims for world peace through tourism, to Kerala Tourism to join WTCF.
"It is an honour to be invited by WTCF to become a member," said Mr. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, Secretary, Kerala Tourism.
A shared cultural heritage was the theme as Shaolin exponents effortlessly mingled with Kalaripayattu performers in a scintillating display of martial arts. Two Kathakali artists from Kerala then went on to enthral an audience, which comprised of the who’s who of the Chinese travel and tourism industry. The occasion was a 'Kerala Evening' organised at the Indian Embassy in Beijing by Kerala Tourism.
"The breathtaking fusion of ‘Kalaripayattu’ and Shaolin showed that Kerala and China have a lot in common. Like Kerala, China has a rich tradition of classical art forms such as the famous Dragon dance, making it easy for us to understand the country and its culture and also for the people of China to understand our culture,” said Mr. A.P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala who led a high-level state delegation to China.
Kerala has seen a 34 percent increase in tourist arrivals from China last year over the previous year. According to figures available for 2013, 175,000 Chinese tourists had visited India.
"Kerala is a tiny state in India, but it is blessed with a rich geographical and cultural diversity," said Mr. Jiji Thomson, Chief Secretary of Kerala who was part of the state delegation. "With an easy connectivity and ideal proximity, Kerala is a natural destination for visitors from China. The first thing that tourists from worldwide see on our famous backwaters in Kerala is the Chinese fishing net along its coast. The most important thing in a kitchen in Kerala is the Chinese frying pan," he added.
“A number of factors are in our favour to attract visitors from China,” said Mr. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, Secretary, Kerala Tourism. “Besides proximity and a shared cultural heritage during the Spice Route and Silk Route eras, the Chinese visitors will find Kerala a perfect place in which to spend quality time,” he added.
A roadshow held by Kerala Tourism at the sprawling Hotel Jinjiang Tower witnessed a huge footfall and a large presence of the mainstream and local Chinese media. This is the first-ever roadshow aimed at attracting high-spending Chinese tourists from the world’s largest outbound tourism market.
