Tired of city life, Guangzhou resident Chu Yu set her sights on the peaceful mountains of Nepal for her next adventure.

“After Covid, we need some connection with nature,” says Chu, 29, referring to the growing trend of young Chinese going hiking and trekking at home and abroad. “Nepal is an economic destination and the culture is really vibrant.”

Visitors like Chu are likely to add to the expected influx of Chinese tourists to Nepal in 2025 under the Chinese government’s tourism promotion campaign – Visit Nepal Year in China – announced at a diplomatic meeting of high level between the two countries in June.

While political analysts view the move as a soft power attempt by China to help Nepal meet its target of welcoming 2 million tourists next year, travel entrepreneurs see it as an opportunity to strengthen the industry tourism industry of Nepal, which contributed 6.6% to the country’s gross domestic product in 2023.

“This is a huge opportunity for us,” says Bidur Prasad Khatiwada, chairman of the China Travel Promotion Committee of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents. “This could benefit our tourism industry enormously.”

Over the past decade, China has become a major tourism source for the Himalayan country known for its hiking trails at the foot of the Everest and Annapurna mountain ranges.