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24 year-old Lin Xiaoyun had never stepped outside of her country, China. Being involved in a Chinese language center in Guangdong province as a language teacher, she decided to broaden her horizons, and travel for the first time to Nepal with friends this month.
However, following the April 25 massive earthquake, her parents refused her wish as there were concerns about continuous aftershocks and other risks.
However, she landed in the Himalayan nation on August 19 in a holiday mood ignoring the devastation.
"It's a great feeling to be in this beautiful country. I am not afraid of quakes or aftershocks as it's a natural phenomenon. I had heard about great damage here, but found much less. Everything seems well,"Lin told Xinhua while celebrating Chinese Valentine's Day with her friends on Thursday.
The April quake not only took the lives of nearly 9,000 people and damaged hundreds of thousands of houses, but also made a huge impact on the country's tourism.
The country had been busy at this time of year for the past two seasons owing to the huge number of Chinese tourists.
The number of tourists, however, has slipped halting the businesses of hotels, restaurants, travel and tours, airlines, and adventure related organizations.
Gradually, Chinese tourists have started to return to the quake- ravaged land giving some much-needed momentum to the industry.
Yee, a Chinese travel and tour operator, has been working in Nepal with local partners for the last two years. He is the one who brought the first group of Chinese tourists to Nepal just one month after the deadly quake.
Yee told Xinhua, "I brought four Chinese groups after April and took them to Chitwan and Pokhara, areas not touched by the quake. They didn't feel any risk or uneasiness as airports, hotels and infrastructure were safe."
He suggested, "The government should cut off visa and other fees in order to encourage more foreigners to visit this country."
According to the tourism statistics of 2014 unveiled by the government,790,118 tourists visited Nepal in 2014 in which Chinese tourists are placed as the second highest after India.
An Jing arrived in Nepal from China in the second week of April, just a week before the quake. She was in Pokhara when the quake jolted this nation.
Following the pressure and worries from her family, she left Nepal in early May.But the beauty of Nepal and the warmth of its people could not stop her from traveling to Nepal again as she still finds this country amazing.
Jing told Xinhua, "I find everything as it was before the quake. People are still friendly and full of life. Tourists from all parts of the world should visit Nepal at this critical time and help this country rise."
After the quake, 90 percent of hotels are in operation, 7 out of 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are open for tourists and 32 out of 35 trekking routes have not been affected by the quake.
As Nepal has completed the relief programs, now its only focus is on reconstruction and rebuilding. For this, the government has already formed a Reconstruction Authority led by Dr. Govinda Raj Pokharel.
Though almost all the countries have already lifted the travel advisory against Nepal, there is still a sense of fear among the tourists which can be removed only through word of mouth and such promotion by friends.
A Chinese traveler Duan Yin Feng recently completed 12 days of trekking in the world popular Annapurna circuit in Nepal.
"It is my first time in Nepal. I found the trekking route to be very safe besides some damage caused by landslides after monsoons. My Chinese friends are worried about the situation here, I was afraid too. But after my return, I will encourage them to visit Nepal once."
