KATHMANDU: The two-day state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping that begins on October 12 has added energy and enthusiasm to the tourism sector of Nepal.

The visit is expected to increase the number of Chinese tourists as well as those from other parts of the world coming to Nepal.

China is the country that sends the highest number of tourists around the globe. According to Nepal Tourism Board, 149 million Chinese tourists visited various countries around the world in 2018. China is also the second country after India that sends the highest number of tourists to Nepal.

In the period of eight months this year, 782,600 tourists have visited Nepal. Of them, 106,050 were Chinese nationals. This is rise by 9.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. In 2018, 134,362 Chinese tourists visited Nepal.

The visit of a Chinese President to Nepal after a long gap of 23 years is expected to boost the tourism sector of Nepal.

The visit will promote Nepal around the world and will increase tourists not only from China but from various other countries, said CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, Dipak Raj Joshi.

Likewise, goodwill ambassador for the Lumbini Development Trust Bikram Pandekaji said that the visit by the Chinese President was a grand opportunity for tourism promotion in Nepal and would definitely increase the number of Chinese tourists to the country.

Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agencies (NATTA) Chair CN Pandey said that the visit by the head of the state of China, the major source market of Nepal's tourism, will have a positive impact to the sector. The visit by the Chinese President on the eve of Visit Nepal Year 2020 has been warmly welcomed by the tourism sector of the country as it is expected to help realise the government's target of bringing in 2 million tourists to the country in 2020.