The foreign Minister of Nepal, Mr. Kamal Thapa along with the Chinese Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi had met on Beijing last Friday to decide on a few matters that concerned both countries. As a result, an unexpected statement came out that wooed the whole Tourism Industry of Nepal and China. The Chinese travelers will now no longer have to pay the regular visa fees they had been paying to the Nepali Immigration on arrival. The Nepalese foreign minister is on a week-long visit to China (Dec 24-29).
Tourism Ministry statistics showed that Nepal received 123,805 Chinese visitors in 2014, which is increasing every year in number. Foreign visitors have to pay $25 for a 15-day visa and $40 and $100 for 30-day and 90-day visas, respectively. However, after the April Earthquake, there was a sharp cut in the number of visitors. With tourism as one of the important industry, Nepal is fighting its best to restore its position as one of the best Asian travel destinations. As various statements and agreements emerged from the meeting, both Nepal and China’s travel enthusiasts surprisingly found the following outcomes as tasty as a Christmas treat:
- China lifts travel warning to its citizens traveling to Nepal. China had warned its citizens about the recent geographical risks associated with traveling to Nepal regarding the April Earthquake. The meeting hence put an official end to the warning and is anticipated to grow the number of Chinese tourists in Nepal by a huge number in upcoming days. Chinese are the second largest number that had visited Nepal in 2014. With this meeting’s conclusion, Nepal will once again be one of the favorite destinations among the Chinese.
- Nepal Waives off Visa fee to Chinese Citizens. With both ministers over flooding each other with generous gifts and perks, Nepali Foreign minister had also announced a visa fee waiver to all Chinese visitors. However, it was a bit late effort between the two neighbors since people around the world are already showing their presence in the Himalayan region as visitors. Nevertheless, the high-profile meeting stands strong as a guaranteed assurance from both sides.
Besides the generous agreements, other important inter-domestic affairs have also been discussed, including a high probability of the Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping visiting Nepal next year. The meeting also concluded with both parties agreeing to work together for Nepal’s reconstruction and opening more trade borders between the two nations.
