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Number of Chinese visitors surges in Nepal

(Xinhu)
Updated: 2010-03-02 17:23

KATHMANDU, Nepal: The number of Chinese tourists arrival have been consecutively soaring up in Nepal, according to the figure released by Nepal's Immigration Office at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

This change has occurred meaningfully at the time when Nepal has launched a national campaign called "National Tourism Year- 2011" to attract more tourists in a national and international level.

In the month of February 2010, the Chinese tourists arrival increased by 242.5 percent compared to the same month of last year.

During February, 2009 the number of Chinese tourists arrival was 1,200 whereas the number has increased making it 4,110 this year, showed the figure released by TIA on Monday.

This year in January, the number of Chinese tourists arrival was only 1,783.

"The number of Chinese tourists arrival has been increasing constantly in Nepal," Aditya Baral, spokesperson of NTB told Xinhua on Tuesday.

According to Baral, the most striking reason behind soaring up trend of Chinese visitors arrival is air-way passage backing up more flights connection to various cities of China with Nepali capital Kathmandu.

At present, four international airlines China Southern, China Eastern, Air China and Dragon Air are operating their flight connection to Nepal with Chinese cities. These airlines have increased their seat capacity to facilitate the movement of Chinese tourists to Nepal, the local news website myrepublica.com reported on Tuesday.

"Chinese people are coming in huge number despite expensive airfare. If we could extend services of Nepal Airlines Corporation to China and introduce competitive fares, the number might go even further," myrepublica.com quoted Nagendra Prasad Ghimire, secretary at Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) as saying.

However, Baral told Xinhua that the number of Chinese tourists arrival is still on the way to increase. "Though the number is increasing, it is still smaller in amount, it can rise more," he stressed comparing figure of Chinese tourists arrival with southern neighbor India. The number of Indian tourists arrival to Nepal has increased by 1.8 percent making it 6,156 this year in February.

The soaring number of Chinese tourists arrival has marked Nepal 's projection targeting China and India as the core market to allure more tourist during NTY-2011. Nepal targets at least one million tourists during 2011. For this, it has projected 101,324 visitors from China whereas 262,588 from India.

The figures released by TIA revealed that visitor arrivals in the month of February 2010, compared to the same month last year, have increased by 33 percent to 33,492 overall.

A total of 33,441 foreign tourists departed from TIA in February 2010. The number of Nepalese arrivals stood at 49,288 while 54,564 Nepalese departed from TIA in February 2010.

This is the ninth consecutive months Nepal has witnessed growth in the international tourist arrivals and this confirms the improved prospects for Nepal in the year 2010 with rising business and consumer confidence.

Nepal officially launched NTY-2011, national tourism campaign on February 26 with the slogan "together for tourism". Following the peace process that began since 2006, Nepal is seeking for "economic revolution" after a decade long armed conflict, NTY-2011 could be the milestone to redeem Nepal's economy, according to official at NTB.