Nepal witnesses surge in foreign tourists' visit in 2024

KATHMANDU: Nepal witnessed a significant surge in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country in 2024, with a total of 940,732 foreign tourists arriving in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year 2024/25.

According to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), 124,393 tourists arrived in Nepal in October, marking a 6.4% increase compared to the same month in the previous fiscal year, which saw 117,306 tourists. In the corresponding month of the fiscal year 2019/20, prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, 134,096 foreign tourists visited Nepal.

The NTB stated that the rise in tourist numbers reflects the trend of recovery in the country's tourism sector after the pandemic. NTB Director Mani Raj Lamichhane expressed satisfaction with the overall increase in foreign tourist arrivals, adding, "The anticipated number of tourists was adversely affected by torrential rain on September 27-29, and subsequent disasters. Yet, we expect an increase within the next two months."

Despite the overall increase in foreign tourist numbers, the number of tourists from neighbouring India and China has decreased in recent months. The number of Indian tourists declined by 13% in October compared to September this year, with 16,313 Indian tourists visiting Nepal in October against 22,984 in September. A similar trend was observed in August, with 25,832 Indian tourists.

The number of tourists from China also dropped, with 7,750 tourists visiting Nepal in October, down from 8,042 in September and 6,614 in August. The decrease in tourist arrivals from these two countries is attributed to unprecedented monsoon-induced disasters in Nepal.

However, the country has seen a notable increase in the number of American tourists. In October, 16,023 American tourists visited Nepal, representing a 12.88% rise compared to the previous month, when 10,084 American tourists arrived.

Additionally, 8,019 tourists from the UK visited Nepal, along with 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 over the past 10 months of the current fiscal year.

The NTB reported the highest number of tourists, 128,167, in March 2024, while July saw the lowest at 64,599.