Sichuan, one of the largest provinces in China, on Thursday launched a bid to promote the region -- home to the famed giant pandas -- as a tourist destination in India.
A delegation of the Sichuan Tourism Administration, at a conference here, highlighted the province to be home to not only the giant pandas but also to diverse art and culture which makes it the tourism cynosure of China
The conference was held subsequent to the announcement of the beginning of China Tourism Year in India in January 2016.
"With its picturesque scenery, rich wildlife, unique religious beliefs, rustic folk customs and magnificent history, Sichuan is a magical land for travellers," said Ming Song, deputy director general, Sichuan Tourism Administration.
"This conference is an important launching pad for us to boost tourism and it reflects our commitment to promote Sichuan," he added.
"The aim of promoting tourism is to get revenue to the province and to strengthen the ties with India. We plan to organise a promotional event in New Delhi in September 2016 to spread awareness about Sichuan among the people, Song told IANS.
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Wang Ning, executive governor of Sichuan said, "I firmly believe that in future the cooperation between Sichuan and Indian tourists will deepen and become more close."
"We have very good momentum of exchange of tourists between India and China."
"We welcome Indian tourists to visit Sichuan. I also invite the Indian tourism industry representatives to visit Sichuan to survey, exchange and to enhance cooperation in order to seek development," he added.
The aim of the conference with its tagline "Sichuan - more than pandas" is to spread awareness about the province among Indian travellers, he said.