Upsurge in foreign tourists visiting Nepal

Photo credit: Santos Giri

KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 5 : Nepal has experienced a significant increase in foreign tourist arrivals in 2024, with a total of 940,732 visitors recorded in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year (2024/25).

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 124,393 tourists arrived in Nepal in October alone, marking a 6.4% increase compared to 117,306 tourists in the same month last year. Likewise, in October 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nepal welcomed 134,096 foreign tourists.

The rise in tourist numbers reflects a recovery in the country's tourism sector following the pandemic. Maniraj Lamichhane, Director of the Board, expressed satisfaction with the overall increase, stating that the trend is encouraging. He noted, "While our anticipated numbers were affected by heavy rains and subsequent disasters on September 27, 28, and 29, we expect an increase over the next two months."

However, despite the overall growth, the number of tourists from neighboring India and China has decreased recently. The number of Indian tourists fell by 13% in October compared to September, with 16,313 visiting Nepal in October, down from 22,984 in September. A similar trend was observed in August, which recorded 25,832 Indian tourists. Chinese tourist arrivals also declined slightly, with 7,750 visitors in October, down from 8,042 in September and 6,614 in August. These declines are attributed to monsoon-induced disasters in the country.

On a positive note, there was a notable increase in American tourists, with October arrivals rising by 12.88% compared to September. In October, 16,023 American tourists visited Nepal, up from 10,084 in September. Other notable arrivals in the last 10 months included 8,019 tourists from the UK, 6,929 from Australia, 6,018 from Germany, 5,485 from France, 4,476 from Bangladesh, 3,112 from Sri Lanka, and 2,635 from Italy.

March 2024 saw the highest number of tourist arrivals, with 128,167 visitors, while July recorded the lowest at 64,599.

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