BILATERAL efforts to build stronger partnerships and tourism development between Asia’s two largest countries were unveiled during the China-India Tourism Forum yesterday, with 2015 and 2016 having been designated Visit India Year and Visit China Year in China and India respectively.

Speaking during the forum, Li Jinzao, chairman of China National Tourism Administration, said: “Moving forward, we will extend the scope and depth of collaboration with India as well as strengthen collaboration with other parts of the world, because the tourism industry contributes to job creation and the economic development of countries.”

Mahesh Sharma, India’s minister of tourism and culture, said: “We have seen some early positive trends after introducing the electronic visa-on-arrival facility to Chinese tourists in July 2015. We hope that the celebration of Visit India Year will help (Chinese visitors) to better appreciate what India has to offer.”

Sharma also believes that Shandong’s new four-times weekly flights between Kunming and Delhi, which just commenced earlier last week on November 11, will also make the Indian capital a destination of choice for visitors from Kunming.

Indian inbound tourism players are showing a keen interest to grow Chinese traffic to the country.

Gaurav Dogra, founder of New Delhi-based Plan Your Holiday, said: “Shandong Airlines is the only carrier offering connections between Kunming and Delhi. It will definitely promote tourism to Kunming, and demand among Indian travellers is bound to increase.

“Prior to this, outbound demand from India to Kunming was minimal as the destination was not well known,” he added.

Rajan Sehgal, president of the India Golf Tourism Association, sees potential in developing golf tourism between Delhi and Kunming as both destinations have many good golf courses to offer.

To further encourage Chinese travellers to visit India, a Chinese telephone helpline was launched this year.

MORE international visitors are taking a stronger interest to venture beyond China’s gateway cities of Shanghai and Beijing into its secondary cities, drawn by the unique landscapes and culture as well as growing air links to these inland destinations, according to international buyers who spoke to TTG Asia e-Daily.

Shelley Zhang, general manager of New York-based Compass Holidays, said: “We have experienced at least a 10 per cent increase in business from the US to China this year.

“Americans like the culture in China because it is something different and exotic, and (repeat visitors) want to explore other cities,” she remarked.

Zhang added: “There is increased interest in the secondary cities like Chongqing, Guilin and Chengdu because first-time visitors would have already been to the popular ones like Beijing and Shanghai.”

Likewise, Connie Lin, deputy general manager of Tian Bao Travel in Ontario, Canada, which recorded a 10 per cent year-on-year growth in outbound business to China, said: “We have seen growing interest to cities such as Kunming and Guilin from repeat visitors who have already been to Shanghai and Beijing.

“China is viewed as a beautiful and exciting place; the depreciation of the yuan, and lots of airlines and (increasing) capacity between China and Canada had also helped grow the market,” she added.

The extensive domestic networks of Hainan Airlines and Air China have also helped her company to develop packages beyond Beijing – the point of entry for direct flights from Toronto – to new destinations such as Yunnan, Sichuan, Yangtze River and Xinjiang, Lin pointed out.

Keen to target experienced travellers above the age of 50 and who are now seeking authentic experiences in Asia after having been to the US and Europe, Sahin Kuran, managing partner at Suntrip Tour Turkey, is currently developing tours to Xi’an, Urumqi and Kashgar next year with a minimum of six nights.

He said: “This is a mature market with higher spending power compared with those in their 30s.”

Meanwhile, Taritour’s managing partner, Bahadir Ustundag, noted that the absence of non-stop air routes between China’s second-tier cities and Istanbul is deterring the Turkey-based company from extending tours beyond Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, which are easy sells for his clients due to the availability of direct flights.

Food is also a primary factor that influences Turkish travellers’ destination choice. Said Ustundag: “For the Chinese cities to successfully attract everyone, it will definitely help if there are more halal restaurants around as it will make it easier to sell the (destination).”

Compass Holidays’ Zhang also added that the challenge in promoting secondary cities in China is the lack of English-speaking guides, which may make communication “more challenging”.

Additional reporting by Paige Lee Pei Qi

TRADE players in East Malaysia are excited that the recent boost in new air services linking Sabah and China will pave for more robust two-way traffic between the two destinations.

AirAsia will begin daily services between Kota Kinabalu and Wuhan from January 22, 2016, while China Southern Airlines will introduce thrice-weekly flights from Guangzhou to Kota Kinabalu from December 1.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines and Universal Charter have entered into an agreement to operate 180 charter flights between Kota Kinabalu and Tianjin, Nanning and Chengdu from December 15 until March 31, 2016.

Earlier, Spring Airlines resumed four-times weekly charter flights between Shanghai and Sabah since October 25.

Welcoming the surge in China-Sabah air links, Mint Leong, managing director of Sunflower Holidays, said: “We have come out with new Sabah itineraries involving islands and beach holidays. Sabah is an easy sell as it has lovely beaches and clear waters.”

Malaysian outbound players are also keen to tap the new air connections to venture into other parts of China.

Apple Vacations & Conventions group managing director, Desmond Lee, said: “The new flights allow us to do quality in-depth tours to exotic locations. For example, from Chengdu we can go further and include tours to Tibet and from Wuhan we can also offer Yangtze cruises.”

Recognising a potential challenge in getting traffic from Kota Kinabalu’s small outbound market, Mayflower Acme Tours deputy general manager – channel management, Abdul Rahman Mohamed, commented: “We welcome the charter flights but the charterers should get the Malaysian outbound travel agents involved to form a consortium to fill up the empty leg from Kota Kinabalu to China.”

CONSTANCE Hotels and Resorts in 1H2015 has recorded double-digit growth from the Chinese outbound market to its properties in Mauritius and the Seychelles, driven by good air accessibility and visa-free access for Chinese travellers.

The business forecast for its two properties in Mauritius and the Seychelles remains rosy for 2016, said Tsang, especially as Britain’s Prince William and Princess Catherine had spent their honeymoon in the Seychelles in 2011, raking up great interest from the Chinese market to visit the destination.

On the other hand, its two properties in the Maldives, Constance Halaveli and Constance Moofushi, saw a single-digit drop in Chinese guests in 1H2015.

Carol Tsang, regional marketing director for Constance Hotels and Resorts Hong Kong Office, explained: “The ‘heat’ to visit the Maldives had cooled since mid-2015 and with the current political instability, I foresee a slowdown of Chinese traffic to the Maldives in 2016.”

As suspended chartered flights from China may not resume once stability returns to the Maldives, Tsang expects the numbers of Chinese guests to drop on a bigger scale compared with the past three years. Marketing focus will hence be placed on attracting repeat travellers and families from China instead of first-timers and honeymooners, she added.

In spring 2015, Constance Hotels and Resorts had established an office in Beijing to market its overseas properties in China, in addition to hosting fam trips for the trade and media as well as active participation in roadshows organised by Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Seychelles Tourism Board across different Chinese cities.