Flood-hit Nepal urges tourists to return: ‘our mountain trails are waiting for you’

Nepal urged international travellers not to abandon the Himalayas, declaring the country open for tourism as it continues to assess the human and economic toll from catastrophic floods that killed hundreds and left thousands missing.“Our mountain trails, trekking routes are still waiting for you,” tourism Minister Khadak Raj Paudel said in a video message on social media, using the hashtag #NepalCalling. “Your coming to Nepal this time does not mean only a holiday. It’s a big support to the country fighting this catastrophic tragedy of flash flood.”The plea comes as harrowing images of destroyed villages, roads and bridges – and reports of deaths following last week’s floods – threaten to deter tourists even from parts of Nepal largely untouched by the disaster.