KATHMANDU: Notwithstanding the political instability back home, Nepal continues to gladden the adventure tourists’ hearts because of its rugged natural beauty and hospitable rural folks.

No wonder, the National Geographic magazine has listed Nepal as one of the top 25 global travel destinations in 2010.

It is heart-warming news for the nation, which is all set to mark Nepal Tourism Year in 2011. In its latest issue, the US publication has cited Nepal’s breathtaking natural beauty and rich cultural diversity as the key reasons to visit the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom.

Travel writer James Vlahos, in a well-researched nine-page feature, celebrates the revival of the birthplace of adventure travel, thanks to a novel 1,600-mile trans-Himalayan trail even as the nation comes to terms with the aftermath of a decade-long civil war. Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Costa Rica, Iceland, Ireland, Kenya, Laos, the Philippines, Peru, Slovakia and Sri Lanka are the must-visit places, according to the magazine.

While, the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010 has listed Nepal along with El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Surinam and the United States as the top 10 travel destinations. This is the Lonely Planet’s fifth annual collection, which charts out the crème-de-la-crème of travel destinations in the year ahead.

“We want the travellers to consider these destinations next year. Whatever your own style dictates, you should be able to find inspiration in these locales. They will take you to far away places, both geographically and culturally, and goad you to reach for travel bag,” said Adam Bennett, communications manager, Asia-Pacific, Lonely

Planet. In October, the National Geographic-Traveller magazine named the Sagarmatha National Park as one of the “50 Places of a Lifetime: Greatest Destinations in the World”.

While, Nepal was named as the best destination by the National Geographic Adventure magazine in March.

Many foreigners are doing their bit to make Nepal a popular tourist destination in the 21st Century.

Robin Boustead has recently launched his book The Great Himalaya Trail: A Pictorial Guide, which captures his exotic journey through the length and breadth of the nation over the past two years.

Judy, a partner of Robin, shares the joyous experience on the website (www.greathimalayatrail.com) “Tourism can spread far and wide in the country and can be a good source of employment. Trekkers can get a slice of rustic Nepali life, which are a marked departure from the popular trails.” Doug Scott, the first Briton to scale Mt Everest, made a passionate plea to visit Nepal, and help the poor and needy in the least developed nation. He promised to be back here for a charity trek — from March 29 to April 10 — to Helambu. Experts from across the world will embark on an expedition — from December 20 to January 7 — to Everest Base Camp to celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year.

Carroll Dunham, an American anthropologist, will lead a foreigners’ team to the Annapurna Conservation Area between February 16 and 28. Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary’s son Peter will join experts and climbers for two expeditions to the highest point in earth next year. The first one is slated from April 16 to May 1, and the second will be held between September 10 and 25.

Peter, who scaled the Mt Everest in 1990, became the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat.

National Geographic photogra-pher Thomas Kelly will also climb the young folding mountains in Nepal along with a team between October 26 and November 7. Italian alpinist Simone Moro, who visits Nepal every year, explained the foreigners’ unconditional love for the nation. “The locals’ hospitable nature coupled with the awe-inspiring splendour of the Himalayas is good enough attraction for us to visit here on a regular basis,” he said.

The government officials and tourism entrepreneurs are upbeat about the global endorsement for Nepal, which they feel will help make Nepal Tourism Year 2011 “a grand success”.

Aditya Baral, who is associated with Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), said that NTB was trying to do its best to promote tourism. “The tourist arrival has also gone up in recent times,” he added.

Tourism entrepreneur Joy Dewan and Suman Pandey, ex-member, NTB, too, welcomed the move.