KOCHI: In order to boost the prospects of Kerala’s tourism, which eyes the Chinese market, those at the helm should explore the potential historical links that connect the State with China, said Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng.
He was speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of an interaction with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Monday.
“A range of topics were covered in the interaction with the CM. We have chalked out an in-depth plan to boost the tourism prospects of Kerala in China. Marketing strategies for the same have already been discussed with Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson when he visited China. In a short period of time, a high-level team from China will visit Kerala to look into the investment venues, including the tourism sector,” said Yucheng.
Stressing the need to explore the historical links, he said there were many links that connected Kerala with China. “Of them, the Chinese fishing net stands first. The snake-boat race and Kerala’s martial art ‘kalaripayattu’ have had their Chinese connections. The common factor lies in food also. My point is that these linkages have to be explored for the good, which will attract Chinese tourists to Kerala,” he said.
According to Yucheng, 5,000 Chinese tourists visited the State last year. “The goal is to raise the figure to 50,000, and then to 500,000. But, spirited efforts are needed to reach that goal,” Pointed out the Ambassador, adding that he had put forth certain suggestions before the CM for attracting Chinese tourists.
The suggestions include conduct of boat races, martial arts events, investment meets, entertainment programmes and conferences, among others.