China has pledged to increase its tourist arrivals in Nepal by declaring 2025 as the 'Visit Nepal Year in China'.

Nepalis visiting China's mainland now no longer need to pay for a visa. The Chinese embassy's action in Nepal is viewed as a reciprocal effort to strengthen ties and foster people-to-people diplomacy between the two countries.

Since 2016, Nepal has waived the visa fees for Chinese nationals, and we had anticipated receiving a similar leniency.

Beijing then made an even more significant declaration in June.

Beijing announced plans to promote Nepal as a top tourism destination for Chinese tourists, designating 2025 as "Visit Nepal Year in China," during the 16th session of the diplomatic consultation mechanism meeting between Nepal and China, which was held in Kathmandu.

Speaking to the Post, Nepal's leading travel industry executives stated that China has never before made a gift of this kind for any other nation. They characterized it as an unanticipated demonstration of soft power diplomacy that may significantly strengthen Nepal's tourism industry.

China took back the top spot for foreign tourism spending in 2023 as the Asia-Pacific region made significant progress in overcoming the pandemic's effects. The United States occupied the top position in 2022. The countries with the highest traveler traffic were the US, France, and Spain.

China spent an astounding $196.5 billion on foreign travel in 2023, surpassing the US's $150 billion, Germany's $112 billion, the UK's $110 billion, and France's $49 billion travel expenditures, according to UN Tourism.

It's wonderful news for Nepal's tourism industry that Chinese travelers are once again opening their wallets wide after a three-year hiatus. More money from tourism supports local economies and gives many people, particularly those living in isolated alpine regions, a means of subsistence.

"After a short break, Chinese travelers are coming back," says Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, the nation's travel agency. But the floodgates haven't opened just yet.

Joshi claims that because China shut down for three years owing to the Covid epidemic, marketing and promotional efforts are insignificant. Even though Beijing has declared 2025 to be "Visit Nepal Year in China," we still need to launch a significant campaign there.

In order to better serve the Chinese market, the tourism board intends to update its online presence and promote on sites like Ctrip, WeChat, and TikTok.

Joshi stated, "From our end, we are getting ready."

Are the Chinese going to arrive?

2013 saw the first time that Chinese arrivals in Nepal surpassed 100,000, mostly as a result of better aviation connections between the two nations. Based on data from the ministry of tourism, almost 93% of Chinese visitors were coming to Nepal for the first time.

Nepal saw 123,805 Chinese tourists in 2014.

However, the 2015 earthquake and India's embargo resulted in 64,675 fewer arrivals from China than in 2014—a 47.76 percent decrease.

Also closed was the surface road at the Tatopani border point, which used to be a popular destination for Chinese tourists visiting Nepal.

Nepal declared on December 25, 2015, that Chinese tourists would receive the same treatment as travelers from South Asia—a "free visa." January 2016 saw the implementation of the plan, which aimed to revive faltering arrivals.

Following that, there was a steady increase in the number of Chinese tourists arriving; Nepal experienced the most growth, accounting for 46.8% of all Chinese tourist arrivals in 2018, totaling 153,633 visitors.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Nepal in October 2019, the country's tourism sector anticipated a sharp increase in the number of Chinese visitors.

After 1996, Xi was the first Chinese president to travel to Nepal. He declared during his visit that he would promote travel to Nepal by Chinese nationals. Xi wrote during his visit that "Nepal is the first South Asian country to be designated as an approved destination for Chinese tourists." The piece appeared in Nepali publications.

2019 saw a record 169,543 Chinese visitors to Nepal. However, after Covid struck, everything was altered.

In 2020, that number dropped to 19,257. When Beijing imposed ceaseless lockdowns in 2021 and 2022, there were just 6,198 and 9,599 Chinese tourists in Nepal, mostly diplomats and those who were trapped in third countries.

Three years later, in March 2023, Beijing at last permitted its nationals to visit Nepal as tourists.
A year later, the growth momentum picked back up, with 12,000 Chinese tourists visiting in March 2024—the biggest monthly total since Covid.

But the momentum didn't last long. There were just 9,700 arrivals in April, 8,000 in May, and 7,000 in June. It fell even lower in July and August, to 6,000 apiece.

Despite their desire to travel, Chinese tourists are dissatisfied with Nepal's poor aviation connectivity.

"It is not very convenient to travel to Nepal due to limited connectivity," remarks Yang Wei, a Chinese woman residing in Nepal.

Many choose neighboring nations like Thailand and Vietnam that have greater connectivity as a result of this.

Wei adds that it is concerning because there aren't enough Chinese guides in Nepal.