Indian powerhouse

India has started enjoying popularity in China following the recent series of exposures it received from print and broadcast media which created an impact strong enough to translate to actual travels.



The country likes to describe itself as a “powerhouse of knowledge”. It is, after all, now the world’s second largest source of trained manpower with its with 290 universities, 1500 research Institutes and more than 10,000 centres of higher learning. These Institutions produce over two million graduates – 300,000 nonengineering post-graduates more than 400,000 Engineers and over 10,000 Ph.Ds every year. India tops the availability of qualifi ed engineers, thus adding to the knowledge pool.



But, of course, being attracted to India is not only because of its brains. It has beauty as well as other features that keep visitors happily busy. “India has everything ranging from wild life, history and cultural heritage to sports and entertainments like music, Bollywood fi lms, soft adventure and advanced technology that tourists can enjoy,” said Gopalakrishnan Venkataraman, Indiatourism East Asia regional director in Tokyo.



The country received its ADS in 2004 and there has been a 70-percent growth in arrivals from China since then. This is indicative of the growing number of fl ights connecting the two countries, he said. The latest is Air China which inaugurated its service between Beijing and New Delhi on October 30. This early, it is already mulling on fi elding in a fl ight to Bangalore because of its IT pull. More carriers are likewise eyeing India.



The perceived twin downside to this accessibility is the availability of rooms. In major cities such as New Delhi, for instance, airlines had complained that they were fi nding it harder to secure rooms for their crew.



Venkataraman said it was supply and demand at work. As a short-term solution, he suggested that with a bit of downgrading, good accommodations are still available. The government likewise is encouraging home-stays.



For the meanwhile, he stressed that deluxe hotels are now under construction and due to be operational within one to two years.



There is a growing popularity among young Chinese in age range of 20 to 35 to visit India for wellness purposes to feel young and beautiful through yoga, Aryuveda and meditation.



India is currently celebrating the 2,550th year of Buddha’s Enlightenment. A campaign to highlight this event is largely being credited for creating awareness for India’s wellness products. “Yoga is for the body, meditation for the mind and Aryuveda for ailments,” he said.



All these are combined to create a wellness package that is best experienced for a stay of at least 12 days, sight-seeing included. Whenever it could be arranged, a visit at the world-famous Taj Mahal is always made.



Increasingly, more and more stops are being made at Bangalore, lured by its IT offerings. This is specially in demand with students, he said.