Sanya joins hands with China Southern Airlines to explore Indian tourism market

On May 31st, 2019, the Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with China Southern Airlines at the Mangrove Tree Resort World Sanya Bay. Sanya will set up a Sanya Tourism (India) Promotion Center and shares venue with China Southern Airlines India Office. Chen Tiejun, member of the CPC Sanya Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor of the Sanya Municipal People’s Government; and Wang Zhen, Director of the Marketing Management Committee of China Southern Airlines attended the signing ceremony.

The two sides will join hands in developing Indian tourism market and push forward the opening of Sanya-to-India direct air route. The Sanya Tourism (India) Promotion Center will be operated by Sanya Holiday International Travel Services Co., Ltd. An omni-channel marketing campaign will be launched in the Indian market to promote Sanya’s tourism products. High-end tourism products such as tropical seaside holiday tours, MICE tours, wedding tours will be launched. In addition, an Indian market tourism alliance will be established to ensure the level of tourism reception services, and improve the tourism supporting services in an effort to enhance the travel experience of Indian tourists in Sanya.

Chen Zhenmin, Director of the Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau, said Sanya welcomed delegates from the Indian International Wedding Federation and received positive feedbacks on Sanya’s tourism environment. In June, a delegation consists of 30 Indian travel operators and media members will visit Sanya.

Wang Zhen, Director of the Marketing Management Committee of China Southern Airline, said that China Southern Airlines will continue to support the development of Sanya’s tourism industry by cooperating with Sanya in tourism promotion and tourism market development.

Chen Tiejun, member of the CPC Sanya Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor of the Sanya Municipal People’s Government, expressed his hope that China Southern Airlines can fully utilize the fifth freedom traffic rights to open more international transit and connecting routes, and set up Sanya international tourist transit service areas at major airports in China to provide more convenient travel options for international tourists. Sanya will also work to incorporate Hainan’s 30-day visa-free travel entry policy for 59 countries with the transit visa-free policies in other Chinese cities in an effort to facilitate tourists from the 59 visa-free entry-eligible countries.

Chen Tiejun also expressed the hope that China Southern Airlines can fully utilize the fifth freedom rights, open more international transit and connecting routes, and open a Sanya international tourist transit service area at the domestic hub city airport to provide more convenient travel options for international tourists.

India is the largest tourist source market for overseas travel. In 2018, China received 800,000 Inidan tourists. Since the opening of Sanya-Guangzhou-Delhi air route in 2017, Sanya received 5839 tourists from India. The city received 2731 Indian tourists in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 9.9 percent.