China To Relax Visa Norms To Lure Tourists

The objective of the ninth travel and tourism fair "" TTF '96 "" was to facilitate a joint effort by Indian states and countries in the subcontinent to increase the tourist flow.

National tourism organisations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Maldives, Nepal and Singapore sent representatives to the fair, which was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Calcutta on Thursday last and ended on Sunday.

Department of marketing & promotion chief of China National Tourism Administration, Ye Xinru, said China plans to simplify its visa norms to increase the number of tourists from India.

 

Those visiting the Hainan province will be given a two-week visa upon arrival and those entering Shenzhen from Hong Kong will be able to stay up to 72 hours with visas granted at the point of entry. There are also plans to establish tourist information centres at Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Guangzhou and Guilin by the end of the year. China's participation in TTF '96, for the first time, is expected to increase the tourist traffic between the two countries and boost bilateral relations.

The Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation announced plans to organise the flow of tourists from India into Bangladesh. A corporation source told Business Standard that the governments were losing revenue because the tourist flow between the two countries, although steady, was not organised. The Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) representative said India had a vast tourism potential, especially because of its large population. The development of tourism in West Bengal will depend on government initiative, the representative said.

The STPB intends to operate in India through domestic tour operators and is in touch with the West Bengal government in this regard. It has identified Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan and UP among the thrust areas.

Bhutan Tourism Corporation manager Thinley Dorji said quality service and value for money were thebuzzwords of the Bhutanese delegation.

The West Bengal government plans to introduce flights between Kathmandu and Bagdogra to tap the foreign tourist traffic from Nepal.

TTF, which started as a small experiment in 1989, has grown immensely over the past few years to offer a variety of travel options, services and products under one roof.

Last year's fair, TTF '95, had received 50,000, visitors including 120 participants, and generated business worth Rs 17 crore.