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

“After Covid, we need some connection with nature,” said Chu, 29, referring to the growing trend of young Chinese to hike and trek at home and abroad. “Nepal is a budget friendly destination and the culture there is really vibrant.”

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

While political analysts see the initiative as China’s soft power push to help Nepal reach its goal of welcoming 2 million tourists next year, travel entrepreneurs see an opportunity to boost Nepal’s tourism industry, which contributed 6.6 percent to the country’s gross domestic product in 2023.

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

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