Before the Covid, China had become the number two source of foreign tourists in Nepal. Now, after a two year slump the Chinese are returning.&nbsp; After the opening of China’s borders this year and resumption of flights from Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, arrivals have surged. Most of the mountaineers attempting to climb Mt Everest this season are from China because the north side of the mountain is still closed. Mandarin is once more heard in tourist hubs like Thamel and Pokhara, and Chinese trekkers are once more hitting Himalayan hiking trails. Although they are coming back, Chinese are still trailing behind Indian tourists. Tourist arrivals in Nepal are almost back to pre-Covid levels with 326,500 visitors between January-April this year, and tourists flying in from India made up 28% og them. This number does not include Indians who came overland on pilgrimage or sight-seeing. Nearly 200,000 Chinese tourists visited Nepal in 2018 after free visas were announced, making up 20% of the total visitors by nationality. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) was expecting to double that figure in Visit Nepal Year in 2020, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-will-chinese-tourists-return-to-nepal" target="_blank">when the pandemic struck.</a> In April this year, there were 3,000 Chinese tourists, and these numbers are expected to rise as flights pick up. Nepal’s largest domestic airline, <a href="http://www.buddhaair.com/" target="_blank">Buddha Air</a> has seen a rise in the number of Chinese passengers from Kathmandu to Pokhara, Bharatpur and Bhairawa. The airline says that it has also seen a rise in booking of Chinese tourists taking its daily four Mt Everest sightseeing flights.&nbsp; Pre-Covid, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/business/Chinese-tourists-on-the-rise-in-nepal,2088" target="_blank">Pokhara was the most popular destination</a> in Nepal for Chinese tourists after the scenic town was the location for a popular Chinese tv series, Up In the Air that went viral on the Chinese micro-blogging site, Weibo. Chinese guidebooks described Pokhara as one of the top ten places ‘to see before you die’. Beijing has also declared Nepal as an ‘official destination’ for its nationals. Then Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chinese-tourist-influx-to-nepal-in-2020/" target="_blank">posted pictures of herself</a> on social media on New Year’s eve 31 December 2019 to promote Nepal among outbound tourists from China. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) recruited famous actress Xu Qing (see photo below) to be its Goodwill Ambassador to promote Visit Nepal Year in China.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230522110512_db76082c85903fffb895c9fbdb74250910bce6b5ec355c7cdb5d35df4b9cf72c.png" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230522110512_db76082c85903fffb895c9fbdb74250910bce6b5ec355c7cdb5d35df4b9cf72c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1980" height="1316" loading="lazy" alt="Chinese tourists in Nepal"> <figcaption>Famous Chinese actress Xu Qingpromoting Visit Nepal Year 2020.</figcaption> </figure>  Chinese tourists are mostly attracted by the culture and the mountains in Nepal, but they also come for wildlife viewing, adventure and pilgrimage to Lumbini. Chinese tourists are the most avid shoppers for Nepali bronze and wood carving handicrafts. The birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini was first chronicled by Chinese monk pilgrims <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faxian" target="_blank">Faxian</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanzang" target="_blank">Xuanzang</a> who visited Lumbini and Tilaurakot in the 4th and 7th century CE, and described the ruins of the towns in detail. Modern day Chinese are following in their footsteps. &nbsp; Tourism entrepreneurs in Thamel say that Nepal could do much more to encourage Chinese tourists if there were more cheaper flights, if the border checkpoints wereopened, and if there was more promotional activity in China. According to Lumbini Development Trust, Chinese tourists are the fourth largest number of visitors among foreigners in the Lumbini area. The establishment of the Gautam Buddha International airport in Bhairawa and the new Pokhara airport could serve to increase Chinese arrivals if there were direct flights from Chinese cities. Chinese tourists when in Nepal also visit Thamel’s ‘Little China’ area where there are many Chinese owned shops and restaurants. With the popularity of WeChat among the Chinese, many shops in Thamel and Patan have also adopted this payment app.&nbsp; Buddha Air, for example, is already using WeChat for flight bookings and tour packages specifically targeting Chinese tourists.&nbsp;

original

674x448

610x380

500x500

400x266

400x240

400x203

301x200

1250x600

1084x550

Chinese tourists return to Nepal

<figure><img width="1365" height="2048" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111152/636cd8729c7e80680e092e42jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi posted pictures of herself on social media on 31 December 2019 to promote Visit Nepal Year 2020. Photo: AMBASSADOR HOU YANQI/TWITTER</figcaption></figure>When Nepal launched its Visit Nepal 2020 campaign to double its visitor arrivals to 2 million last year, much of the hope was pinned on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chinese-tourist-influx-to-nepal-in-2020/">increasing the volume of tourists from China</a> and India.  Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chinese-tourist-influx-to-nepal-in-2020/">posted pictures of herself</a> on social media on New Year’s eve 31 December 2019 to promote Nepal among outbound tourists from China. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) recruited famous actress Xu Qing to be its Goodwill Ambassador to promote Visit Nepal Year in China.Nearly 200,000 <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/number-of-Chinese-tourists-growing-in-nepal,1917">Chinese tourists</a> visited Nepal in 2019 after free visas were announced, and NTB was hoping to at least double that figure in 2020. Tourists from China had already started streaming in over the Chinese new year holiday last year when the pandemic struck.Almost exactly one year ago on 23 March, Nepal went into lockdown and the tourists had to be quickly <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/10000-tourists-stuck-in-nepal-being-evacuated/">evacuated on repatriation flights</a>. The numbers plummeted to zero between March to September of 2020.Arrivals have only started picking up. Of the 18,000 tourist visas issued at Kathmandu airport in January-February this year, the Department of Immigration says only 2,585 were for Chinese nationals. <figure><img width="1226" height="773" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111152/636cd8769c7e80680e092e43jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>This was less than 5% of the arrivals for the same two months in 2019, and many of them were traders and workers on Chinese projects and not strictly ‘tourists’.  In the short term, the hope for Nepal’s tourism industry <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-should-now-allow-visa-on-arrival/">hinges on how effective vaccination passes become</a>. In an optimistic scenario, rapid vaccination campaigns in China and India, and their travel bubbles could allow some tourists to venture to Nepal on holiday. Nepal as a destination <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/china-social-media-erupts-on-everest-news/">got a lot of nationwide publicity in China</a> last year with the join announcement of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-china-re-measure-height-of-mt-everest/">newly calculated height of Mt Everest.</a>On March 9, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-certificates-idUSKBN2B10LO">China became the first country to launch</a> a digital Covid-19 vaccination certificate for Chinese citizens planning cross-border travels. It shows details of inoculation and antibody tests through a QR code on a WeChat app. Although these are now in widespread use in the mainland for visits to restaurants, and domestic travel by train and plane, there is not yet an accepted international standard for vaccine passes. <img width="640" height="797" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111152/636cd8789c7e80680e092e44jpeg.jpg" alt="">Besides, Beijing has continued its ban on outbound tour groups, and this limits Nepal’s ability to attract tourists from China, with or without vaccine passports. Several southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia that depend on Chinese tourism are trying to set up a travel bubble with China. The Thai authorities are trying to open up the country by July to Chinese tourists, and if that happens they expect 8 million tourists by the end of the year. <img width="640" height="507" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111152/636cd87b9c7e80680e092e45jpeg.jpg" alt="">Chinese officials have said that they will be talking to countries around the world about accepting the country’s vaccine passport, and it is expected that some of the 40 countries that have so far imported or used Chinese-made Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines may be the first to do so.China has increased its gift of Sinopharm vaccines to Nepal from 500,000 to 800,000. Health Ministry Hridayesh Tripathi told Nagarik newspaper in Kathmandu on Sunday that the delay was due to the fact that Nepal needed to arrange a charter flight to bring the doses from Beijing to Kathmandu.     However, any substantial change in Chinese tourist arrivals will likely only occur in the fall of 2021, if it happens at all. According to <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1217110.shtml">Chinese media</a>, only 40% of eligible Chinese citizens will be vaccinated by the end of June, with this number creeping up to 64% by the end of the year.This means it is unlikely for Chinese restrictions on outbound travel to lift until the late summer or early fall of this year. While the outlook for this year’s tourist season is bleak, there is hope that next year will provide some relief. Once tourists can provide information on their inoculation status, restrictions on arrivals and quarantines can be lifted, facilitating greater numbers of tourist arrivals into countries like Nepal.With this in mind, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tourism-may-take-5-years-to-recover/">it is highly unlikely that Nepal will see a return to numbers</a> like the estimated <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tourism-may-take-5-years-to-recover/">1.2 million tourists</a> that visited the country in 2019 this year or next. This reflects a global trend.Some experts project that global long-haul travel will not properly resume until 2023 or 2024, which may be too long for many industries to survive. While the Nepali government had boldly targeted the arrival of 2 million tourists to Nepal in 2020, it could be several more years before this can be attained. <figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111152/636cd87e9c7e80680e092e46jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The start of the spring trekking season is usually a goldmine for Nepal’s tourist industry. In a normal year, Nepal earns up to $700 million from the tourist industry which provides direct employment to 1 million people.With the Covid-19 pandemic halting travel worldwide, Nepal’s once-resilient tourism industry faces an anxious wait for the return of some semblance of normalcy. Yet, even with growing rates of vaccinations worldwide, Nepal’s full-reopening to foreign tourists hinges on a complex web of factors.One concerns arrival restrictions. While the Nepali government <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/call-to-ease-entry-of-tourists-to-nepal/">eased restrictions</a> on foreign visits last December, various visitor requirements still deter many. Foreigners are allowed to fly to Nepal, but require a visa from an embassy abroad before being allowed in.Similarly, visitors are required to show proof of a reservation at a designated hotel for a one-week quarantine, which may be 10 days if travelers are arriving from countries with new virus strains. Yet, even with Nepal’s Covid-19 cases declining to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/why-nepals-covid-19-figures-are-deceptive/">low levels</a>, these regulations help provide an added layer of security to protect the country from infected visitors.Another involves vaccination rates in Nepal and abroad. As one of the first countries in the region to initiate a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-braces-for-new-wave-with-vaccine-drive/">rapid vaccination</a> program, Nepal hopes to expand on its inoculation drive to include the bulk of its population, not just frontline workers and medical staff.

When will Chinese tourists return to Nepal?

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101140/636b75e79c7e80680e062412jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024"/><figcaption>Fewa lake in Pokhara. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>Earlier this month, Nepal declared what every country wishes it could say with confidence: ‘Nepal is coronavirus free’. It first came from the Prime Minister, who said the virus had entered Nepal but had since “gone away”.Then, Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai took it one step further. He declared Nepal a ‘Coronavirus Free Zone’, adding that would be <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/long-road-back-to-shangrila/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Nepal Year 2020’s promotion</a> pitch to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chinese-tourist-influx-to-nepal-in-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attract Chinese tourists</a> to salvage the spring tourist season.Within a week of that announcement, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-climate-connection-to-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19 has gone global</a>. The Oxford Journal of Travel Medicine predicts Nepal is now one of the top 15 destinations where the next outbreak is predicted. Nothing could make that a self-fulfilling prophecy happen than opening Nepal’s doors wide for tourists from Asia and Europe.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-climate-connection-to-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The climate connection to Covid-19</a>, Rastraraj Bhandari<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepal-must-watch-about-coronavirus-but-not-panic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Nepal must watch coronavirus, but not panic</a>, Sameer M DixitTo cap off a ‘corona free month’ the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) on 26 February published an upbeat notice declaring Nepal safe from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepal-must-watch-about-coronavirus-but-not-panic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> and urged visitors not to cancel their visits.It may be more prudent for the government to terminate the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/love-it-or-hate-it-its-abominable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controversial VNY2020 campaign</a> and revert to its evergreen <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/selling-sex-tourism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#VisitNepal</a>. This way, it can focus on strict health surveillance at the airport, improve infrastructure, clean up the cities and promote domestic tourism.The Tourism Minister and NTB have shown a dangerous lack of understanding of what the coronavirus epidemic can mean. It also shows an approach in which the interest in assuring outsiders will be safe in Nepal is greater than ensuring Nepalis remain safe from outsiders.The top ten countries from where Nepal gets tourists are on high alert. India is screening passengers arriving from Kathmandu. Most countries have issued travel advisories for people traveling to and from China. Thailand’s health minister discourages travel abroad, saying 'It could be your last holiday.' South Korea is in complete crisis mode due to the rapidly growing outbreak. There are 100,000 Nepalis working there.Japan is considering cancelling the 2020 Olympics. Saudi Arabia has suspended foreign pilgrimages into the country for the Hajj. America has told citizens to plan for potential closing of schools and businesses. Countries are racing to take extraordinary steps to limit any unnecessary risks.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101140/636b75ec9c7e80680e062413jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="344" height="399">Why is Nepal insisting on the opposite? If Nepal is Covid-19 infection free, it is out of pure luck. Continuing with<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-nepal-brand/?preview_nonce=76ffe3ead4" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> VNY2020</a> effort would test that luck to a dangerous extreme. The Italian outbreak that is spreading across Europe at a faster rate than in China began with just one Italian man.While all of China’s provinces have reported infections, more than 16,000 Chinese tourists have entered Nepal through Tribhuvan International Airport since January, of which more than 3,000 arrived in the first three weeks of February.The two sick Chinese nationals in Pokhara who were asked to stay under surveillance this month went into hiding and could not be traced. A Saudi Arabian tourist who arrived in Nepal via China also ran away from a Kathmandu Hospital where he was being monitored. Pokhara, is a top destination for Chinese tourists, and tens of thousands of Nepalis will converge there in April for the Nepali New Year holiday.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/from-hubei-to-kharipati/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">From Hubei to Kharipati</a>, Shristi KarkiIt can take as long as 24 days for symptoms of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/from-hubei-to-kharipati/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19</a> to appear. Tourists spend an average of 12 to 14 days in Nepal, most visit a shared list of sites. They converge in Thamel, the capital’s tourist hub located near Kathmandu’s ‘Chinatown.’Hotels and airlines in Nepal have seen cancellations after the outbreak. Spring mountaineering expeditions are in doubt, and the trekking season is at risk. Experts warn that even if the outbreak weakens due to warmer weather, it could resurface later in the year. An outbreak in Nepal this spring could kill not only the fall season, it could even risk tourism in 2021.Some have argued this is just another flu variant with low fatality rate so far, and there’s a good chance it will just be in most people’s systems for the foreseeable future, implying there is not anything to be scared of as such. Nepal’s poor responses to outbreaks in the past and its weak public health care system gives all the more reason to keep the virus away.Now that the ITB Berlin Travel Trade Show, the biggest in the tourism industry to be held in March <a href="https://www.itb-berlin.com/Extrapages/HealthInfo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak</a>, Nepal government should formally drop VNY2020 agenda and focus simply on promoting ‘Visit Nepal’.The Covid-19 outbreak is having serious impact on the world economy. The United States stock markets are seeing historic lows not seen since the 2008 recession. China’s economic growth is looking shaky. The chain reaction of a global economic slowdown does not bode well for Nepal’s tourism, and could also affect outbound Nepali tourism. The remittance-based economy could take a serious hit if this becomes a pandemic.The VNY2020 campaign has been criticised for sloppy promotion abroad, and even before this outbreak, few believed the 2 million target could be met. The Covid-19 outbreak provides just the right justification to terminate this ill-planned campaign.  This would buy Nepal’s planners time to prepare better with promotion and upgrading infrastructure for a more meaningful campaign.

Let’s call off Visit Nepal Year 2020

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67e49c7e80680e0599ffjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1365" height="2048"/><figcaption>Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi posted pictures of herself on social media on New Year's eve to promote Nepal tourism among the Chinese. Photo: AMBASSADOR HOU YANQI/TWITTER</figcaption></figure>When Nepal chose famous Chinese actress Xu Qing to be its Goodwill Ambassador to promote Visit Nepal Year 2020 in China, she did not need much convincing. She was already in love with Nepal.“My heart was racing when I saw the breathtaking view of the Annapurna range,” she gushed in a Weibo post from Pokhara, “This is the life I yearn for.”Xu posted photos of herself posing in front of Machapuchre, boating on Phewa Lake, wearing a marigold garland, and taking selfies with smiling local children. Those images and videos went to 17 million of the actress’ followers on Chinese social media.Xu Qing, who starred in her first film in 1990, has won numerous awards in the past 30 years. Many of her roles are deeply rooted in the hearts of people, which makes her hugely popular on social media. Her account on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform in China, has more than 17 million followers.“It was a wise decision for Nepal to choose her as an influencer to promote tourism from China,” says <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/chinese-ink-wash-paintings-in-Nepal,2622">Chinese art curator Justin Zhao</a> who has lived in Nepal for seven years, and founded the Himalayan Light Art Award. “Next door China is the biggest potential market for tourism development in Nepal, and the number of Chinese tourists to Nepal is growing rapidly.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67e79c7e80680e059a00jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67eb9c7e80680e059a01jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67ee9c7e80680e059a02jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi has also been projecting China’s soft power in Nepal through her social media feeds to promote Visit Nepal 2020. In a Tweet on new year’s eve on Tuesday, she posted pictures of herself modelling in Patan Darbar Square and wrote: ‘True beauty always touches the deep heart. Beautiful Nepal with history, diversity and nature deserves a visit. Wish #VisitNepal2020 successful!’ And she tagged Nepal’s Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai.From January to October 2019, there were 134,281 Chinese tourists in Nepal, up nearly 10% for the same period last year. Chinese visitors account for nearly 14% of arrivals by nationality, second only to India. Numbers started going up in 2011 after Nepal announced <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-chinese-are-coming/">free visas for Chinese nationals</a>.“Chinese Buddhists and those who enjoy adventure sports are the two most common types of Chinese tourists in Nepal,” notes Wang Ziping, who runs a restaurant in Pokhara. Indeed, many of the visitors have nothing but praise for Nepal’s natural beauty and its friendly people.‘Although Nepal is poor, it is the happiest country in the world. You can actually see the real smiles on people's faces and feel their inner comfort. I taste a bit of my dream life here,” noted one visitor on an online post.Adds another: ‘In the southern slopes of the Himalaya, you can see the cultural diversity of South Asia. People of different religious faiths live in peace here. They understand each other and develop together.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f19c7e80680e059a03jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="511"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f39c7e80680e059a04jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="178"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f59c7e80680e059a05jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="203"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f79c7e80680e059a06jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="292">There are also negative comments, and deal mostly with poor infrastructure and the high airfares. Says restauranteur Wang: “Air tickets to Nepal are too expensive. The price in the peak season is more than double to similar destinations. If the price of air tickets can be reduced to about the same as that of flying to Thailand, more people would love to come.”With a target of two million tourists in 2020, entrepreneurs have made efforts <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/business/Chinese-tourists-on-the-rise-in-nepal,2088">targeting potential Chinese visitors</a>, but many say that unless the infrastructure bottlenecks like airports and highways are fixed it will be difficult to meet the target even if the volume of Chinese tourists reaches 500,000 this year.But here in Pokhara, restaurants, hotels and paragliding companies are gearing up for the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18432#.XgmHydIza70">influx of Chinese tourists</a>. At Lakeside restaurant <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/number-of-Chinese-tourists-growing-in-nepal,1917">menus are in Chinese, as are shop signs</a>.  Shopkeepers do their part by calling out “Ni hao” to welcome any Chinese-looking person.“We have Mandarin courses so our staff can communicate with Chinese tourists,” says Prakritee Gurung, manager at Shangri-La Village Resort. Across town at Fishtail Lodge, nearly half the 24,000 guests in 2019 were Chinese tourists.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108151128/636a67f99c7e80680e059a07jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="965" height="912">Nepal is getting ready for the first tri-nation Nepal-India-China Expo (NICE) 21-24 Feburary for joint tourism promotion. Nepal is strategically placed to be the tourism go-between for the two Asian giants.Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara who have been lobbying for decades to have <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/pokhara-nepals-new-aviation-gateway/">Pokhara International Airport</a> built are excited that it will finally open next year, and there will be direct flights between Chinese cities and Pokhara, bypassing Kathmandu.Pokhara became famous in China after the popular television serial Deng Feng Lai (Up in the Wind) was filmed on location here where the two protagonists took <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19255#.XgmF09Iza70">a paragliding flight</a>. Since then, many young Chinese have flocked to Pokhara.For Wang Ziping it was love at first sight with Pokhara. He came on a visit, and never left, deciding to open the Pokhara Restaurant on Lakeside. He says: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c32WjMV3InY">Pokhara International Airport</a> is about to be finished and there will be more Chinese tourists flying directly here. I am sure business will pick up.”

Chinese tourist influx to Nepal in 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcaWYJSU5y4&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR2Qnf8iXarhb9omsTAfo3FB-fITc8Z9i8Snve_1T9mfrPCF2_9p5KMvgUgEver since trekking became the mainstay of tourism in Nepal, guidebooks have decreed that hiking in the Himalaya is only advisable in spring and autumn. What nonsense.As we saw this past week, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15649#.XFLWtlUzaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal becomes a winter wonderland</a> during January. The mountains emerge with a fresh coating of snow, the air is crisp and the sun blindingly bright. And the best thing about it is that there are very few other tourists.Winter trekking is now possible not just because of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/on-thin-ice-in-the-khumbu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">global warming</a>, but also because there are new roads, guest houses, homestays and facilities along the trails. And while the high passes like Thorung La and Kang La in Manang, the Mardi and Khopra Treks, or Cho La in the Everest region may be completely snowed under, the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/annapurna-base-camp,3697" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Annapurna Base Camp</a> trek is do-able.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101144/636a25379c7e80680e0439b8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050"/><figcaption>Hikers on their way from Machapuchre Base Camp (3,700m) to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m). This part of the trail is closed due to heavy snowfall this week, and may reopen in about 10 days. All photos: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101144/636a253a9c7e80680e0439b9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>A recent trek to ABC showed that the trail is mostly occupied by Nepalis and Koreans who are more adventurous and no longer satisfied with throwing around snowballs on Pulchoki or Chandragiri.“It is hard to describe the pleasure of walk on a snowy trail with just the sound of your heavy breath, friction of your jacket, or boots crunching through the snow,” says Lee Chul from Korea, at Machapuchre Base Camp.After Kathmandu Valley did not meet his expectations about Nepal, Chul headed off to Pokhara and the ABC trek despite the snowfall. He went without a guide, and says that although he had to rough it, the adventure was worth every minute. He adds bravely: “The cold cannot keep us away from the Himalaya.”At the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/municipalities-want-to-manage-annapurna/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Annapurna Conservation Project</a> checkpoint in Chomrong (2,177m) Sarita Pun shows us the entries for January which have numbers that are almost the same as for December.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101144/636a253d9c7e80680e0439bajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="1067"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101144/636a253f9c7e80680e0439bbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101144/636a25439c7e80680e0439bcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“After this week’s snowfall, some trekkers have turned back because of ice on the trails,” she tells us, while many trekkers are waiting it out in Ghandruk for the snow to start melting on the trails above Bamboo, which is at 2,340m.Unique Gurung, 21, is a cook at the Annapurna Sanctuary Lodge at ABC (4,130 m) and says the temperature hit -20 this week. He has headed down to Deurali (3,200 m) along with his team to shovel the snow to keep the trail open for trekkers.Gurung says October is the peak season at ABC with 70 guests a day, and although the number is lower in winter, there has been an unusual surge of Nepali trekkers venturing up through the snow.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101144/636a25479c7e80680e0439bdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="706">Almost as adventurous as the Nepalis are Koreans, and tourists from China have started arriving for the Chinese New Year Holiday. Some 50 of them had to be evacuated by helicopter from Deurali after heavy snow blocked the path down this weekend.Nabin Balla from Bhaktapur is a new breed of Nepali trekker who has been exploring different parts of Nepal. Although he finds October the best time for treks in Nepal, he is always open to adventure and was in <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=2701#.XFLV81UzaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a> in mid-January.“It is actually more expensive to trek in winter because you need extra heavy-duty gear to keep warm, but it has its rewards in mountains that are crystal clear and empty trails,” he says.Rana Roka of the Eastern Light Trek in Pokhara recommends Poon Hill and Jomsom as the best bet for winter, although he does not rule out ABC once the snow on the trails has thinned.Says Roka: “You have to be careful about avalanches and sickness, but trekking in winter is challenging and exciting at the same time."

Monika Deupala

The ABCs of a winter trek in Nepal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-sFnHEoH5U&amp;t=63sAsk a person in China about Nepal, and the answer is mostly that it is a happy Himalayan country of Buddhism and mountains. Justin Zhao and Liang Ye have decided that is not enough for the 400,000 Chinese tourists that are expected during <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/bringing-in-two-miilion-tourists,3551" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Nepal Year 2020</a>. When they first arrived in Nepal as tourists themselves, the duo decided that the country had a lot more to offer. Many more Chinese would visit if they knew about the culture, history, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/prithvis-earthy-art/">art</a>  and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-life-and-times-of-arniko/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">architecture of Nepal</a> . Zhao and Ye have set up <a href="https://www.facebook.com/himalayanlight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Himalaya Light Culture House</a> in Jhonche to exhibit and propagate Nepali art, modern paintings, historical books and local handicrafts. By deliberately locating in the former <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7121#.XCSzoVUzaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freak Street</a>, not Thamel, the two wanted to reboot Nepal’s tourism brand among mainlanders.Read also: <a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/chinese-ink-wash-paintings-in-Nepal,2622, Justin Zhao" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal in ink and brush</a> <figure><img width="1400" height="788" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171152/636937c59c7e80680e03fe5bjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>NORTHERN LIGHT: Justin Zhao and Liang Ye (below) with their art gallery in Jhochhen and Boudha. They call themselves “volunteer envoys” working to improve people-to-people ties between China and Nepal. Photos: Ruixue Zhang </figcaption></figure>It is easy to miss the signboard for Himalaya Light Culture House amidst the thangka and scarf shops, the momo eateries and bars in this street off Darbar Square that used to be the haunt of <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/feeling-groovy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hippies</a>. Through a narrow passageway, after turning right on a sundeck, is the Culture House.“No wonder so few people visit our Culture House, even I sometimes get lost,” jokes Ye, who was at Darbar Square when the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Monumental-loss,2215" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2015 earthquake destroyed the monuments</a> here, and remembers weeping when he saw the devastation.For his part, Zhao has been to Nepal 18 times since 2013, and cannot seem to stop coming back. He was drawn by Kathmandu’s rich heritage, sculpture and handicraft, and decided to establish a new museum, guest house and restaurant here. Zhao says that after the earthquake, many Chinese gave up their businesses and went back, so he had to start from square one. But now he is one of the most influential persons for trans-Himalayan cultural exchanges.  <img width="1400" height="788" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171152/636937c89c7e80680e03fe5cjpeg.jpg" alt="">Ye, 36, used to be a doctor, first came to Kathmandu in 2014, became a travel writer. “At first, I chose Nepal because of its tourism potential, but now Nepal is like my lover,” he admits, smiling. After seeing the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">devastation in 2015</a>, Ye started posting scenes of the damage on Chinese social media to explain that Nepalis revered Lord Shiva the creator and destroyer, and saw the earthquake as part of another divine cycle. The posts helped spread a huge response in China for relief aid. Zhao has always been fascinated by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-craft-of-art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepali modern art</a> and wants to bring it to the attention of Chinese collectors. “Nepali artists are deeply rooted in their society, and their work carry socio-cultural meanings,” explains Zhao, “but the average Chinese tourist only knows about <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thangkas </a>and wood c<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/a-craving-for-carving,3637" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arvings.</a>”Ye has been in Nepal long enough to understand geopolitical sensitivities. “Nowadays, the relationship between China and Nepal is like friends while Nepal and India are like brothers,” he says diplomatically, “brothers can fight but will always be brothers. China will always be a close friend.”Ye and Zhao say they want to go beyond government-to-government links to be China’s “volunteer envoys” to connect the peoples of China and Nepal. In the past three years, Zhao has taken young Nepali artists to China, held exhibitions and discussions about paintings and music. Zhao’s father Zhao <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/chinese-ink-wash-paintings-in-Nepal,2622" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jianqiu</a> is a famous Chinese artist whose exquisitely detailed ink and brush paintings of Nepal’s mountains and Kathmandu’s temples have been exhibited in Beijing and Kathmandu.Tourism in Nepal has gone through many phases: the world jet-set ‘discovered’ Nepal in the early 1960s, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-gangster-of-love/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hippies </a>came in the 1970s, trekkers and budget travelers after that. Ye and Zhang perhaps represent a new breed of Asian tourists who are drawn by Nepal’s unique natural and cultural heritage, as well as its modern creativity.

chinese-tourists

Chinese tourists return to Nepal

When will Chinese tourists return to Nepal?

Let’s call off Visit Nepal Year 2020

Chinese tourist influx to Nepal in 2020

The ABCs of a winter trek in Nepal

The Chinese are coming