As per the recent Hotels.com CITM Report 2015, Udaipur is at the top of the list of Indian destinations that are searched by Chinese travelers on Hotels.com during the first six months of 2015, informed Amit Agrawal, senior marketing manager of Hotels.com.

Other destinations in India most searched by Chinese travelers, in terms of ranking, are New Delhi, Mumbi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Kolkata, Agra and Hyderabad.

The Chinese travelers are a formidable force in global travel and the tourism sector. Forecasts predict outbound Chinese travellers could number around 174 million in four years’ time spending US$ 264 billion annually. A significant segment of outbound Chinese travelers, as per the recent Hotel.com CITM Report 2015, comprises of ‘millennial’ travelers.

In India, the average daily spending on hotel by Chinese travellers is 949 RMB (Rs 9,815). “Hoteliers confirm that the growth in Chinese guest numbers observed previously is continuing. Almost two-thirds experienced an increase in Chinese guests at their properties over the past year,” stated Agarwal.

While India does not figure in the list of the top 10 destinations for Chinese travelers (Australia, Japan, France, Hong Kong, South Korea, USA, Maldives, Germany, Thailand, Taiwan), but with prime minister Narendra Modi announcing e-visas for Chinese tourists, it will give a fillip to inbound arrivals from China which became the 77th country to get the facility.