Nepal-China tourism cooperation to be further strengthened

Kathmandu / Bagmati Province Culture and Tourism Minister Suresh Shrestha has expressed confidence that the launch of the International Outstanding Cultural Tourism Project will further strengthen cooperation and mutual trust between Nepal and China.

Minister Shrestha expressed this view at a press conference organized in Kathmandu on Sunday on the occasion of the launch of the International Outstanding Cultural Tourism Project organized under the China-Nepal Exploration Tour.

At the program co-organized by Xizang Tourism Culture Industry Group, Iris Tourism Culture Industry Group, Nepal Panda International Travel and South Asia Network TV (South Asia Network Television), stakeholders from Nepal and China discussed the challenges and solutions seen in tourism exchanges between the two countries.

Delivering a welcoming speech at the program, Huang Lei said that the goal is to bring about 6,000 Chinese tourists to Nepal monthly and 6,000 to 120,000 annually through the tourism project. He mentioned that if the arrival of Chinese tourists increases, employment will be created in the sectors including hotels, transportation, agriculture and handicrafts.

He said that tourism can be developed not just as a business but as a basis for nation building. Huang informed that there is a plan to operate a seven-day tourism package targeting Chinese tourists, covering Kathmandu, Nagarkot, Chitwan and Pokhara.

Speakers including Shailendra Dhungel of Nepal Panda International Travel Agency and Zhou Enyong, Chairman of Himalayan Airlines, emphasized the need to work according to a strategy to attract tourists in all four seasons as tourist arrivals fluctuate due to seasonal effects.

The project, which was launched with the main objective of promoting tourism and cultural exchange between Nepal and China, also featured various cultural tableaus.