As another sign of improving relations between New Delhi and Beijing, the Indian government has reinstated tourist visa services for Chinese citizens across its embassies and consulates worldwide, multiple Indian media outlets reported.
While this move has gradually revived Chinese travelers’ interest in visiting India—bringing positive outcomes—Indian authorities still need to enhance security measures and streamline visa processes to attract more tourists from China, a Chinese travel agency noted on Sunday.
According to sources, an official notification was issued earlier this week, marking another step toward normalizing ties after a four-year freeze following the 2020 border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), The Indian Expressreported.
Direct flights between China and India, which had been suspended for five years, resumed on October 26. Indian officials stated that the revival of air links would “promote people-to-people exchanges” and support the “gradual return to normal bilateral interactions.”
Initially, India resumed tourist visa processing for Chinese nationals in July, but only through its Beijing embassy and consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. The recent global expansion reflects growing confidence in the improving bilateral relationship, the newspaper added.
Sources mentioned that the visa reopening is part of a broader set of “people-oriented measures” agreed upon by both nations to stabilize relations, per The Indian Express.
Xu Xiaolei, a marketing manager at CYTS Tours Holding Co., told the Global Timeson Sunday that the resumption of direct flights and the partial lifting of visa restrictions have already started to boost Chinese interest in traveling to India, yielding encouraging results.
