Chinese tourists visiting Nepal are not benefiting local businesses, as they only spend money in Chinese shops and stay at Chinese hotels, according to Nepali businessmen. The nation’s tourism industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, but while some tourist groups are arriving from China, the preference of Chinese hotels and shops means that little money is being left with locals. The 165,000 Chinese visitors that arrived in 2019 have dwindled due to the pandemic, and in January this year Nepal welcomed just 6,561 arrivals from the United States, 3,441 from Australia and 2,468 from Bangladesh.