NEPAL: Nepal Grows Chinese Tourism Market

Nepal held a tourism promotion event in China this week with the goal of growing its market of Chinese visitors.

Approximately 80 Nepalese hotels went to Beijing to promote the tourism business in China. In 2014, more than 120,000 Chinese traveled to Nepal, which accounts for about 15.7 percent of inbound tourism in the country, but tourism officials would like to see that number grow.

The number of Chinese tourists in Nepal has been steadily increasing in the past few years, but compared to other destinations, Nepal sees relatively few Chinese tourists, Amar Man Shakya, the 1st vice president of the Hotel Association of Nepal, said.

As a result, there is huge room for attracting more Chinese tourists, he added.

The country is also promoting its safety after the 2015 8.1 magnitude earthquake that took a toll on Nepal’s tourism industry.

In order to encourage tourism, Nepal also announced a gratis tourist visa, allowing Chinese tourists to avoid visa fees when traveling to the country.