June 5, 2018 TnH Global 2

India is lacking behind because of limited Licensed Chinese-speaking tour guides

India has a lot of going of factors to attract Chinese tourists including various historical sites, rich cultural traditions, and proximity which simply reduces travelling cost. Despite that, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to their other neighbors like Vietnam, Thailand and Japan is growing increasingly, while the arrivals of Chinese tourists to India remain relatively low. In the year 2016, only 251,313 Chinese tourists travel to India. Ministry of Tourism of has yet to release full numbers for 2017, however, according to the statements of K.J. Alphons, the Union Tourism Minister the number of Chinese arrivals have reduced to 225,482. The Indian government has taken serious efforts to attract more Chinese tourists with limited success. A major speed breaker to do so is the limited number of authorized Chinese-speaking tour guides. It is a sad fact that the government is taking steps to improve the tourism factors and the entire country has only 37 authorized Chinese-speaking tour guides to cater Chinese tourists.

On a recent trip to China to help facilitate Chinese tourist growth, Alphons noted that there just aren’t enough qualified tourism personnel in India capable of speaking Mandarin. Unfortunately, most Chinese tourists are incapable of speaking English, and many tours have had to employ the services of around 300 unlicensed Chinese-speaking tour guides. They don’t have university degrees and their language skills may not be sufficient to lead Chinese tour groups. India allows Chinese citizens to apply for e-visas, making FIT travel a bit easier. Therefore, a qualified tour guide is becoming a necessity to accompany FITs and groups to explore the beauty of India.