Nepal is offering special rates on popular trekking trails and at homestay destinations to Japanese visiting the country until February to mark six decades of ties with Japan, tourism officials said.
"On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan, we have coordinated with the private sector to offer discounted trekking and homestay rates to Japanese tourists visiting Nepal until February," Kundan Mishra of the Nepal Tourism Board said on Wednesday.
"Japanese tourists are special for Nepalese people," Mishra added. "We hope a large number of Japanese tourists will visit Nepal during this period."
In coordination with the Nepal Tourism Board and the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal, tour agencies are offering up to 32 percent discounts on Everest Base Camp treks, 34 percent for Annapurna Base Camp treks and 26 percent for Langtang Valley treks. Special rates are also available for the Kanchanjunga Base Camp, Rolwaling Eco-Cultural, Jomson-Muktinath, Upper Dolpo, Dhaulagiri Circuit and Upper Mustang treks, among others.
The Homestay Association of Nepal is offering 20 percent discounts to Japanese.
Nepal was getting 800,000 tourists per year until 2015, when devastating earthquakes during peak season killed nearly 9,000 people and destroyed much of Kathmandu's prized cultural heritage.
"Recovery in trekking and mountaineering sectors has been encouraging. However, people visiting Nepal for cultural heritage tours hasn't quite recovered yet," said Chandra Prasad Rijal, president of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal.
Japan is on Nepal's top 10 list of tourism nationalities. The list is led by Indians, with Chinese in second place.
"The number of Westerners visiting Nepal has gone down in recent years, but the number of Asian tourists is increasing," Rijal added.