Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng will be the state guest at the 63rd Nehru Trophy race, to be held on August 8 at Alapuzha backwaters.
The ambassador will be arriving in the state on a four-day visit on August 7 at the invitation of Chief Secretary, Jiji Thomson.
Le's visit assumes significance as it is taking place barely a month after a hugely successful foray into the Chinese outbound tourism market by Kerala Tourism, a press release said.
"The Chinese Ambassador's visit to Kerala is a positive response to the visit of senior representatives of the state government to China only a month ago," said state Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar, who had led the high-profile Kerala delegation to China.
The visit will create a positive wave about our state among Chinese tourists and tour operators, he said, adding 'It will go a long way in attracting more and more Chinese tourists to the state'.
'Kerala tourism is ready to initiate projects aimed at the Chinese market', Thomson, who was part of the state delegation to China in June, said.
The Kerala delegation's visit to China had marked the first-ever participation of Kerala Tourism in the Beijing International Travel Expo and also a roadshow in Shanghai.
A large number of Chinese outbound tour operators had evinced interest in the state on the occasion where Kalaripyattu exponents from Kerala had joined Kung Fu performers in a breathtaking martial arts fusion in the Chinese capital.
Chinese tourists, who numbered 107 million according to figures available for 2013, constitute the world's largest outbound tourism market. They are considered the highest spending tourists globally.
The Chinese Ambassador, who has held a number of vital positions in the Chinese Foreign Ministry, including as head of its policy planning department, will arrive with a four member team.
The team, which will reach Kochi on August 7, will stay at Kumarakom the same night before travelling to Alappuzha by a houseboat to watch the Nehru Trophy race the next day.
Following its successful entry into new and emerging markets in the past few years, Kerala Tourism is preparing to tap the vast Chinese market to substantially increase foreign tourist arrivals in the state.
There has been an increase of 33.45 per cent of Chinese tourist inflow to Kerala in 2014, compared to the previous year.
