KATHMANDU: It wouldn’t smell prejudiced if one goes on to say ‘Nepal’s mountains do not need any introduction’.

Talking about Nepal’s tourism, it often relates to mountain tourism as Nepal has earned its fame as the mountainous country in the world. This is why Nepal has been treated as a Himalayan country by foreigners.

Nepal’s image as a beautiful mountainous country cannot be ignored. However, in the meantime, it is important to delve into this country’s diverse culture.

That’s why the Government of Nepal is celebrating Visit Nepal Year 2020 by encouraging foreign tourists to visit Nepal in 2020, and promoting the country as a destination for luxury, sight-seeing, rich traditional culture, trekking, mountain flight, pristine nature, and adventure tourism, among others.

Not to forget the snowcapped great Himalayan ranges, beautiful landscapes, forests, deep gorges, flora and fauna, favorable climatic conditions, temples, and monasteries.

These attractions offer Nepal a fascinating mountain tourist destination, including mountain tourism activities.

Precisely enough, Nepal’s mountains will not disappoint a foreigner. Moreover, Nepal’s mountain tourism has remained one of the most important sectors of the economy since it has contributed to employment generations, foreign currencies earnings, and product development, among others.

In Nepal, approximately 83 percent of landmass (1, 41,181 sq. km) is covered with mountain landscapes attributed to pristine nature and culture.

Moreover, mountain tourism products here are characterized by its intangible forms such as the faith in mountains as the abode of Gods by a significant number of religious tourists.

Sherpas of the Everest region have always been an indispensable part of Nepal’s mountain tourism.

Besides mountaineering, trekking or hiking, Nepal offers a variety of exhilarating adventures such as whitewater rafting, canyoning, mountain biking, rock climbing, bungee jumping, and paragliding are just a few of the many options.

This could be one of the reasons why Nepal figured out as one of the best countries in the world by Lonely Planet’s annual ‘Best in Travel’ list.