KATHMANDU: In a bid to promote Visit Nepal 2020 campaign amid the Burmese populace, the Nepali Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar honored two Burmese nationals who climbed Mt Everest, and the most frequent Nepal -visitor Burmese.

The Embassy in Myanmar has been organizing promotional events prompting Myanmar nationals to visit Nepal.

Myanmar nationals, Win Ko Ko and Pyae Phyo Aung climbed Mt Everest in 2016 while Da Thajin Mint Ai has visited Nepal a total of 325 times so far.

They were feted by the Nepali Embassy in Yangon.

Everest summiteers Win Ko Ko and Pyae Phyo Aung admired Nepal to be the best destination for adventure tourism.

They said most of the Burmese know Nepal as the land of Lord Buddha and stressed the need to rebrand Nepal as the land of exotic mountains, including the ‘Land of Sagarmatha’, and picturesque hills.

They said that since Burmese hardly get to see mountains and snows, Nepal’s hills and mountains could be attractive tourist products for them.

Likewise, Da Thajin Mint Ai said that Nepal needs to lure more Buddhists during the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign.

Myanmar has around 90 percent of the population with Buddhist faith, and Nepal, being the Land of Lord Buddha, can capitalize to draw Buddhist Burmese.

Da Thajin said as there were more than 40.5 million people as followers of Buddhism in Myanmar, Nepal’s Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, can be a center of attraction for them.

Nepali Ambassador to Myanmar Bhim Krishna Udas said that various promotional events would be organized in Myanmar round the year to promote the Visit Nepal 2020 to encourage Burmese to visit Nepal in 2020.