Nepal welcomes large Chinese tourist group

Buddhist Stupa in the old part of Kathmandu near Durbar Square,Kathmandu,Nepal.[Photo/IC]

Nepal received a large Chinese tourist group on Tuesday, nearly 11 months after last year's April 25 devastating earthquake.

The quake-ravaged mountainous country welcomed 150 Chinese tourists who arrived via a single flight of Air China from Chengdu.

The tourists, aged from 60 to 70, are retired Chinese professionals from various sectors.

"This is the biggest Chinese group arrival after the quake that left huge impact on tourism. We are working closely with China to bring more tourists within a year," Govinda Thapaliya, managing director of Koshi International Travels, told Xinhua.

The company alone has set a target of bringing 10,000 Chinese tourists till the end of 2016.

Chinese tourists are mostly fond of elephant rides, boating, rafting and sight-seeing.

Thapaliya, who has recently stepped into the tourism industry, said, "In average, a Chinese tourist spend 2,000 U.S. dollars in Nepal for their week-long trip besides airfare."

Nepal has witnessed an increase in the number of Chinese tourists in recent years.

Figures of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation showed that the number of Chinese tourists stood at 123,805 in 2014.

Nearly 800,000 foreign tourists visit Nepal every year.

Ujjwala Dali, an official with Nepal Tourism Board, said, "China is the most important market for Nepal's tourism. We are hopeful that 2016 will set a landmark."

Four Chinese airlines are operating direct flights between Nepal and China.