KATHMANDU, APRIL 13
As many as 180 Chinese tourists have arrived in Nepal for the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group of tourists were welcomed at the Tribhuvan International Airport by the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song and the Chief Executive of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Dhananjay Regmi.
Welcoming the tourists, Minister Kirati mentioned that China is Nepal's major tourist source market and expressed his happiness in welcoming Chinese tourists to Nepal and wished them a pleasant stay.
Similarly, Minister Kirati requested the ambassador to provide necessary assistance and initiative for direct flights from Bhairahawa and Pokhara to China.
On the occasion, Ambassador Song said that Nepal is the destination of choice for Chinese tourists and said that China has always been positive for Nepal's tourism development. He said that the number of Chinese tourists coming to Nepal will increase gradually.
NTB CEO Regmi mentioned that tourism activities in Nepal are gradually returning to their former rhythm in 2023 and said that the arrival of Chinese tourists will make Nepal's tourism more sustainable. He also requested the Chinese ambassador to take initiatives to allow the Chinese tourists to enter the country through the Rasuwa and Tatopani crossings of Nepal-China border.
Today, Himalaya Airlines H9 785 Airbus A320-214 landed at TIA with 180 Chinese tourists on a chartered flight from China's Kunming Changshui International Airport. The airline company is planning to bring more passengers to Nepal in the coming days through chartered flights, according to Himalayan Airlines Vice-President Vijay Shrestha.
A total of 169,534 Chinese nationals had visited Nepal in 2019.
The number dropped to 19,000 in 2020 when the COVID pandemic struck and remained at paltry 6,196 in 2021 and 5,595 in 2022, according to NTB. The northern neighbour has recently relaxed its travel restrictions. This year, as many as 6,337 Chinese tourists have visited the country till March.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 14, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
