Visit India Year 2015 launches in China

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The opening ceremony of “Visit India Year 2015” kicked off in Beijing on Feb 2. Wang Yang, Chinese vice–premier; Li Jinzao, head of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA); Sushma Swaraj, Indian external affairs minister; as well as other senior government officials from both countries presented at the opening ceremony. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed congratulations in his recorded greetings.

In his speech, Indian Ambassador Ashok K. Kanta said that the Visit India Year program is a part of the bilateral tourism development plan agreed to by Chinese and Indian leaders. During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s India tour last September, Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to launch a “Visit India Year” in China in 2015 and a “Visit China Year” in India in 2016. As neighbors, India and China both enjoy great civilizations, rich Buddhist culture, and a long history of people-to-people exchange. India is reputed for its mountains, lakes, temples, classic art and shopping. Therefore, India is becoming one of the favorite overseas tourism destinations for Chinese visitors. Last year, India held a series of festival activities in 14 Chinese cities and paved the way for the success of “Visit India Year 2015”, said the ambassador.

Li Jinzao extended his congratulations on the success of the opening ceremony on behalf of the CNTA. In his speech, he said that China will work together with India to establish a sound cooperation mechanism and try to convene the China and India tourism ministers meeting in 2015. Meanwhile, to support mutual tourism promotion and publicity, the two countries will give each other preferential treatment in media resources, advertising channels, exhibitions and invitation of travel agencies. China would like to invite India to take part in the China International Travel Mart 2015 as the Guest of Honor. In addition, the two sides will develop special tourism products to satisfy the demands of visitors from the two countries and encourage their companies to invest in each other’s tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and tourist buses. In addition, China will help India train more Chinese-speaking tour guides, increase the number of Chinese signs, and provide food and beverages suitable for Chinese preferences in order to improve the level of Indian tourism services. Meanwhile, the two sides will share information timely and carry out cooperation in visitor insurance and emergency rescue to safeguard tourist security. The two sides will also promote simplifying visa procedures and increasing direct flights to better serve tourists from the two countries, said Li.