POKHARA, August 5: Tourists from China, which is considered to be one of the main sources of foreign tourists for Nepal’s tourism sector, have started visiting Nepal. As many as 1,593 Chinese tourists entered Nepal by air in the month of July. According to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), this influx of Chinese tourists in July is the largest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chinese citizens were not able to travel for sometime due to the pandemic. Apart from that, direct flights from Nepal to China were also halted. NTB Director Maniraj Lamichhane said that the arrival of Chinese tourists has started to increase after direct air flights between some cities of Nepal and China started recently.
Over 167,000 tourists visited Bhaktapur in FY 2022/23
"Since the beginning of 2022, the highest number of Chinese tourists entered Nepal in the month of July. It can be hoped that more Chinese tourists will arrive in the coming days,” Lamichhane said. “Direct flights from Kathmandu to the junction of Hong Kong and China have now started, which has increased the arrival. Now, if the coronavirus infection does not spread, we can be hopeful that more Chinese tourists will visit Nepal.”
According to the NTB, 321 Chinese tourists arrived in Nepal in January, 205 in February, 431 in March, 281 in April, 388 in May and 451 in June.
