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TOURISM |
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TOURISM |
Chinese Currency The inclusion of the yuan
in the foreign exchange basket will help increase the flow of Chinese tourists By A CORRESSPONDENT Although Nepal still has a long way to go
before Chinese tourists start arriving in large numbers, the agreement signed between the
Chinese ambassador and governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank allowing the circulation of
Chinese currency in the kingdom was a major step in that direction. Nepal and China signed the agreement on
tourism on last November, after China agreed to designate Nepal as a destination for
Chinese tourists. Despite the agreements signed between the two countries, Nepal has to do
much more to facilitate the flow of Chinese tourists. Nepal has a limited number of
flights to China's main cities. Royal Nepal Airlines has twice-a-week flights to Shanghai.
For its part, South China Airlines links Kathmandu to Lhasa.
"If we increase the number of
flights between the two countries, we would have a fairly a good number of Chinese
tourists," said Narendra Bajracharya, president of Hotel Association Nepal. "The
government must increase the number of flights to China." At a time when the country's tourism sector
is on the verge of ruin following the September 11 terrorists attack in New York City and
Washington DC, the deteriorating security situation in the country, and amid tensions
between India and Pakistan, the arrival of tourists in Nepal has drastically dropped. Most
of the hotels are on the verge of bankruptcy, with many having given mandatory leave to
their staff. "The new agreement signed between
Nepal and China will help to boost bilateral trade and increase the number of tourists in
the coming years," said Dr. Tilak Rawal, governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, after signing
the agreement. Chinese officials too express similar
views. "This step will settle many problems on the way to increase the flow of
Chinese tourist to Nepal. We hope the agreement will allow to do more business between the
two countries," said Chinese Ambassador Wu Congyang. As Indian tourist arrivals are positively
increasing following the introduction of the special package, the inflow of Chinese
tourists will give a boost to the entire tourism sector. "Increasing tourist arrivals
in Nepal will also narrow down the trade deficit between Nepal and China. Nepal's trade
deficit with China is much higher right now," said Dr. Rawal. Luring more and more Chinese tourists to
Nepal will not be an easy task. The kingdom is yet to develop the basic infrastructure
necessary for the Chinese tourists. The country needs, among other things, a large number
of Chinese restaurants and Chinese guides along with frequent aircraft service. "We want to increase the frequency of
our flights to different cities of China so that we can bring more tourists into
Nepal," said an official at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
"We have already requested the Chinese authorities for negotiations on new
destinations." The signing of agreement recognizing
Chinese yuan as a convertible currency will have a significant impact on all spheres of
economic development of the Himalayan kingdom, which has had long trade relations with its
northern neighbor. |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
