Kathmandu, Dec 22: Aiming to promote Nepal’s tourism, the Nepal-China Friendship ‘Dragon Boat Race’ competition will be held from December 29 in Pokhara, the tourism capital of Nepal. The second edition of the Dragon Boat Race will take place over two days.
At a press conference held today, it was announced that the event would feature 20 teams: 11 from Nepal, 8 from China, and 1 from Singapore.
The event is jointly organized by the Gandaki Provincial Government, Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, and the Nepal Tourism Board, with co-organization by the Nepal Dragon Boat Association, Pokhara Tourism Council, and the Pokhara Overseas Chinese Association.
The race will be held over distances of 200 and 500 meters. The winning team in both categories will receive a cash prize of USD 5,000, the runner-up will get USD 2,000, and the third-place team will win USD 1,200. Each of the remaining 17 teams will be awarded USD 500.
The second edition of the Dragon Boat Race will also take place on Fewa Lake. The first edition was held in 2023 under the leadership of the Chinese government, which has organized similar events in 50 countries worldwide.
During the press conference, Wang Xin, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, highlighted the competition’s potential to foster harmonious relations between the citizens of Nepal and China and promote Nepal’s tourism. “This competition will be useful for cultural exchange between Nepal and China, developing Nepal’s tourism industry, and internationally promoting Nepal’s tourist destinations and sports,” he said. “China remains committed to supporting Nepal’s tourism promotion.”
Dipak Raj Joshi, Executive Chief of the Nepal Tourism Board, remarked that China is Nepal’s primary tourist market and expressed optimism that the Dragon Boat Race would contribute to promoting tourism in Pokhara.
The Dragon Boat Festival, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2009, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival is observed for three to seven days across various provinces in China, with the government declaring a public holiday for the occasion. Celebrated with great enthusiasm by people of all ages, the festival is one of China’s four major traditional celebrations and sees the dragon as a symbol of positive energy.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 169,534 Chinese tourists visited Nepal in 2019, while 60,874 visited in 2023. From January to November 2024, 92,848 Chinese tourists traveled to Nepal. Organizers noted that Chinese athletes and delegations would charter flights to Pokhara to participate in the event. #nepal #china #dragon #pokhara
