China's Tibet, Nepal to promote Himalaya tourism 0 CommentsPrint E-mail Xinhua, July 19, 2010 Adjust font size: Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will work closely with Nepal to boost the tourism industry in the Himalayan region, officials said Friday.

Nepal had simplified visa procedures for Chinese tourists. Chinese passport holders who took the direct bus service to Nepal could get visas at land ports in Tibet, said Wang Songping, deputy chief of Tibet's tourism administration.

China's three leading airline companies -- China Eastern, China Southern and Air China -- all operate passenger flights to Nepal.

Chinese tourist arrivals in Nepal had been growing by 20 percent annually since Nepal became a tourist destination for Chinese citizens in 2001, Wang said.

Last year, Nepal received 15,000 Chinese tourists, said Naindra Upadhaya, consul general of Nepal in Tibet.

Tourism authorities in Nepal and Tibet signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism promotion in 2003 and established a joint coordination committee.

To date, the committee has held three meetings. The fourth will be held in Lhasa in September.