According to the latest data released by the Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal received more than 1 million international tourists in 2023. Among them, Chinese tourists exceeded 60,000. Nepal has unique snow mountain scenery, and snow mountain trekking has become an important means to stimulate local economic growth. In recent years, the Nepalese government has issued a series of measures to promote the healthy development of the trekking tourism industry.
Hiking can enjoy the scattered landscape
If you are fascinated by snow mountains but can't overcome the altitude sickness, Nepal is a good choice. Compared with other hiking destinations, Nepal retains a relatively primitive state. Here, there are countless snow mountain scenery, fascinating mysterious oriental colors, and colorful interwoven religious art and culture. After more than 60 years of development, Nepal has become a world-renowned mountain hiking tourism area, attracting a large number of hiking enthusiasts. It is no exaggeration to describe Nepal as the "paradise of hiking enthusiasts in the world".
The main trekking destinations in Nepal are the Annapurna and Everest mountain areas. Travel in the Everest region is dominated by climbing expeditions and belongs to the middle- and high-end niche activities. The Annapurna mountain area, which has an excellent snow mountain landscape, is the best choice for trekking. There are two relatively famous trekking routes in the Annapurna mountain area: the Annapurna Base Camp route and the Annapurna Grand Circuit route. The former has a nearly 3,000-meter elevation drop, which brings beautiful landscape changes. This route is relatively easy, with a short walking time, but the experience is very rich. It is a suitable trekking route for all outdoor sports enthusiasts. The Annapurna Grand Circuit route is more difficult, starting from the east slope of the Annapurna Peak at an altitude of 8,091 meters and circling around to the west slope, with a total distance of 211 kilometers. Along the way, there are nearly ten peaks of about 7,000 meters and dozens of snow mountains of about 6,000 meters.
Of course, if you want to experience the majesty of Mount Everest, you can choose the Everest Base Camp hiking route. This route is the most difficult, but you can enjoy close views of Mount Lhotse in the Imja Valley, Mount Everest in the Robuche Valley, and Mount Cho Oyu in the Dudhkosi Valley, allowing you to get close to snow mountains and glaciers.
Chinese tour guide service is convenient for Chinese tourists
Hiking snow capped mountains has attracted a large number of foreign tourists to Nepal and is an important component of the country's tourism industry. The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has pressed the "pause button" for the growth momentum of Nepal's tourism industry. In addition, before the impact of the epidemic, Nepal's tourism industry was also severely affected by the 2015 earthquake.
Nowadays, the number of tourists climbing mountains in Nepal has rebounded. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, at least 1 million foreign tourists came to Nepal last year. The Nepalese government even proposed in the "Tourism Decade" plan from 2023 to 2033 that Nepal would strive to attract 2 million international tourists in 2024.
To further promote the long-term development of tourism, the Nepalese government has standardized and facilitated the trekking tourism market in various aspects. Nepal now has a mature system of trail construction and management, which enables the trekking tourism area to maintain a good ecological and human environment. In particular, the establishment of ecological protection zones has broken through the traditional natural protection method of separating protected areas from human activities, successfully coordinating the relationship between social development and natural protection.
From April 1st last year, the Nepal Tourism Department issued a new regulation: the Nepal trekking TIMS trekking personnel information management system card will no longer be issued to tourists who do not hire a guide. Tourists must book Nepal trekking products through travel agencies or trekking companies, and can only trek with professional guides. This move aims to protect the environment and promote coordinated development, while stimulating local economic growth. In addition, the Nepalese government has added multiple mountain climbing routes, publicized environmental protection, standardized tourism enterprise operations, encouraged local people to shift from agricultural operations to tourism, and actively developed tourism handicrafts with local characteristics.
In terms of attracting Chinese tourists, Nepal has also added Chinese tour guide services to popular attractions, such as the famous Chandrakirti Mountain. Chinese tourists can easily obtain Chinese tourist information and tour guide services. "Chinese tour guide services have been widely praised, which helps Chinese tourists better understand the scenic spots, and other scenic spots are also drawing on our model," said Thapa, the manager of the scenic spot. At present, the scenic spot is still planning to open a Chinese restaurant, hoping to attract more Chinese tourists.
(Nepal Tourism Board is the member of IMTA)
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen
Editor Ⅱ: Wu Dan
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
