DRThiruvananthapuram: The future of Kerala Tourism depends on how successfully the God’s Own Country can penetrate into the emerging source markets in North East Asia, including China, Japan and Korea, said Xu Jing, Asia/Pacific Regional Director, United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO).
“The major challenge is to diversify your source markets, and when you do that it’s not just about making a policy shift but also a product shift,” Jing told Times of India during his visit to the state for attending UNWTO’s annual executive training programme on ‘Tourism Policy and Strategy’.
“I can’t believe why your land is not flooded with Asian tourists, the people from oriental Asia. I have already spoken to Kerala tourism secretary and the director here on conducting some technical seminar to provide information and to chalk out strategies to penetrate these emerging Asian markets.”
While making a policy shift, a major thrust should be on understanding the different tastes of Oriental Asia. “Asian people may not spend their time in a bar sipping a beer. They might be very much into other activities the Europeans might never even think of. The Asian are more active, taking photos and posing for selfies. They finish their meals in half an hour and are always on the run. So you need to fit into their requirements,” he pointed out.
“In tourism, bilateral political issues are never a big constraint. The real issue is lack of awareness about the destination. Here you have fantastic food, and everything linked to gastronomy will be one of the attractions to any Chinese traveller besides Ayurveda,” he said.
According to Jing, tourists from these markets, especially China, are now travelling to Maldives and Sri Lanka. Currently, China accounts for 40 percent of international tourists in Maldives.
