On August 23rd, 2019, the Sanya Tourism (India) Promotion Center officially opened in New Delhi. The facility was jointly launched by the Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau, and Sanya Holiday International Travel Services, in an effort to attract an increasing number of Indian visitors to the seaside resort city of Sanya.

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The opening ceremony was attended by the following individuals: Tian Xin, Director of the New Delhi office of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the P.R.C.; Wang Bin, General Manager of China Southern Airlines’ New Delhi office; Gajendra Badgujar, Head of East Asia at FICCI New Delhi Area; Akash Poddder, President of Indian online travel operator Yatra; Zhang Guohong, Deputy General Manager of the Business Development Department at Sanya Phoenix International Airport; Xu Wei, Chairman of the Sanya Wedding Tourism Association; Liang Yaofeng, Deputy General Manager of Sanya Holiday International Travel Services; Krishna Murthy, General Manager of Sanya Holiday’s Indian office; and media members from China and India.

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India is the second largest market in Asia for outbound tourism. Due in part to Sanya’s positioning as an unexplored tropical paradise and as China’s burgeoning resort city, its unique natural resources and established tourism facilities, as well as its tourism products, the city is increasingly popular among Indian tourists. Tian Xin said at the opening ceremony that the Sanya Tourism (India) Promotion Center was established in response to China’s Belt and Road initiative. The center will help to further expand and enhance the recognition and influence of Sanya in the Indian tourism market.

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Xu Wei, Chairman of the Sanya Wedding Tourism Association, commented that India’s wedding tourism market has developed rapidly in recent years. Sanya is expected to become a new wedding and honeymoon destination for Indian couples alongside other popular destinations in Thailand and Indonesia.

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Krishna Murthy, the person in charge of the Sanya Tourism (India) Promotion Center, has more than 15 years of experience in outbound tourism and is very familiar with the Indian tourism market. He said that the promotion center will come up with market plans as soon as possible and launch targeted products with a variety of market strategies for various market segments, including the wedding and honeymoon market, the M.I.C.E. market, and the leisure and holiday markets. The promotion center has set a goal of delivering 5,000 Indian tourists to Sanya during the 2019-2020 period.