Tourism in Nepal shows strong recovery

Nepal’s tourism industry is experiencing a significant resurgence, with a substantial increase in foreign tourist arrivals in 2024. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) reports that 940,732 foreign visitors entered the country in the first ten months of the current fiscal year (2024/25), marking a significant rebound from the pandemic downturn.

In October alone, tourist arrivals reached 124,393, a 6.4% increase from the previous month. Although this figure remains just below the October 2019 pre-COVID benchmark of 134,096, it underscores the sector’s steady recovery.

Maniraj Lamichhane, Director of the NTB, expressed optimism for the industry’s future. “Despite recent challenges from heavy rainfall and natural disasters, we expect continued growth,” said Lamichhane.

Visitor demographics have varied, with fluctuations in arrivals from key markets. Tourist numbers from neighboring India and China saw declines, attributed to disruptions from the monsoon season. Meanwhile, American arrivals increased, with a 12.88% month-over-month increase in October, totaling 16,023 visitors. Other notable contributions came from the UK (8,019), Australia (6,929), Germany (6,018), France (5,485), Bangladesh (4,476), Sri Lanka (3,112), and Italy (2,635).

March has been the peak month for tourism this year, recording 128,167 visitors, while July saw the lowest arrivals at 64,599.

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