Raj eyes Chinese tourism market with ITB debut

Jaipur: For the first time, Rajasthan will showcase its tourism products and experiences at ITB China in Shanghai, a premier global networking platform, in a bid to tap into the vast Chinese travel market.The initiative comes at a time when China does not figure among the top 20 source countries for tourist arrivals in the state. Officials said the exhibition offers a strategic opportunity to forge partnerships with Chinese tour operators and travel agents, positioning Rajasthan as a preferred destination.Tourist inflow from China has not picked up meaningfully over the past five years, largely due to border tensions. As the relationship between the two countries are changing for the better, the department now seeks to actively promote Rajasthan's heritage, culture, and tourism offerings in China.Before the pandemic, China was one of India's key inbound markets, with over 339,000 visitors recorded in 2019. As international travel regains momentum, Rajasthan sees this as the right moment to rebuild structured tourism engagement with China.The state currently receives only a fraction of its foreign visitors from China. In 2022, arrivals stood at 933, rising to 3,249 in 2023 and 6,103 in 2024, before stabilising at 5,486 in 2025.A tourism department official said the low visitor count presents an opportunity rather than a setback. "Participation at ITB Shanghai offers Rajasthan direct insight into China's travel trade networks, digital ecosystem, and evolving consumer preferences," he noted.Senior officials from the department are scheduled to attend the three-day exhibition beginning May 26.The event brings together top and hand-selected buyers from Greater China with industry professionals from all over the world. Various networking events and a unique state-of-the-art matchmaking system to enhance networking and maximize business opportunities are provided.Coinciding with the travel show, the ITB China tourism conference enables knowledge transfer throughout the tourism exhibition.