August 2: The arrival of Chinese tourists, which had slowed down after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, is now on the rise. Before the outbreak, Chinese tourists accounted for 10 to 15 percent of the total tourists visiting Nepal.

But the arrival of Chinese tourists came to a complete halt after the outbreak.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said that the arrival of Chinese tourists has started to increase since last month.

According to Maniraj Lamichhane, director of NTB, 5,693 Chinese tourists entered Nepal in July, which is 9.9 percent of the total tourists visiting Nepal. In July 2022, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Nepal stood at 1,593.

According to the board, 534,207 foreign tourists have entered in seven months of 2023. In the month of July alone, the number of tourists entering Nepal by air increased by 29.8 percent. In July this year, 57,726 foreign tourists entered Nepal, while in 7 months of 2022, a total of 44,462 foreign tourists had arrived in Nepal.

After the Chinese government included Nepal in the list of countries that its citizens can visit, the number of Chinese tourists started to increase. Nepal was included in the list published by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism on March 15.

Chinese Dragon Boat Race Festival was organized in Pokhara last month, for which an international chartered flight from Chhendu, China to Pokhara International Airport was operated for the first time. NTB mentioned that the arrival of Chinese tourists is gradually increasing due to the ease in restriction on flights and the opening of borders by the Chinese government.