Nepal has been included in National Geographic Traveller magazine’s Ten Places That Deserve More Travellers in what could be a major boost for the country’s faltering tourism industry following the devastating earthquake last year.

The UK-based popular travel publication has placed Nepal in the third spot among 10 locations. “Although Kathmandu and Nepal have long attracted adventurous travellers, the country’s April 2015 earthquake, which killed 8,000 and wrought about $10 billion (half of the country’s GDP) in damage, decimated the country’s tourism industry,” said the magazine. “While the earthquake has damaged Nepal’s man-made structures, its mountain trails, including the legendary Annapurna Circuit through the snow-capped shadow of the Himalaya, remain accessible. Only two of Nepal’s 35 listed trails have been rerouted as a result of earthquake damage, and as early as last summer, all of the Annapurna trail’s bridges were successfully tested for safety.” The list has highlighted trekking activities in the Himalayan wilderness along with more spiritual activities like learning art of playing the Himalayan singing bowls, which are rung before, during or after periods of Buddhist meditation. It has also laid emphasis on the safety of travellers and accessibility of travel locations after the quake. The devastating earthquake on April 25 last year had largely destroyed tourism infrastructure, heritage sites and trekking trails in the country. “Nepal’s economy, deeply reliant on the tourism trade, is more in need than ever of visitors,” the magazine’s website stated.

Last year, the UK-based travel magazine on its “Cool List” for 2016 had placed Nepal in the sixth spot among 16 locations.