Over one million tourists visit in 11 months

Kathmandu, Dec. 2: Tourist arrivals have crossed the milestone of one million in the first 11 months of the year 2024. 

With 114,501 tourists visiting in November, Nepal welcomed 1,055,533 foreign tourists by November this year, according to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). This is 5.40 per cent higher than the tourist arrivals during the same month of the last fiscal year 2023. But it is only 87.87 per cent of tourists who landed in Nepal in 2019.

A total of 108,630 tourists arrived in Nepal in November 2023 while around 130,302 tourists visited Nepal in November 2019. The highest number of tourists - 128,167 - entered Nepal in March 2024 while 124,393 tourists entered Nepal in October this year.

Similarly, about 79,100 tourists came to Nepal in January, 97,426 in February, 111,376 tourists in April, 90,211 in May, 76,736 in June and 64,600 in the month of July this year. 

Likewise, around 72,719 tourists came to Nepal in August and 96,305 in September 2024.

According to Mani Raj Lamichhane, director of NTB, the growth of tourist arrivals in the country is satisfactory.

"Tourist arrivals, which were affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, are on the road to recovery. However, even in 2024, the number of tourist arrivals is unlikely to reach the level of 2019," he said.

He said that the recovery in tourist arrivals by November 2024 compared to 2019 is about 88 per cent, which is encouraging. 

A total of 1,096,325 tourists arrived in the first 11 months of 2019 while 918,308 tourists arrived in Nepal during the same period of 2023.

The COVID-19 affected tourism sector is gaining momentum from the fiscal year 2022/23.

About 1.01 million tourists arrived in Nepal in the last fiscal year 2023/24 while the number was 614,000 in 2022/23. 

Nepal received 1.19 million foreign tourists in the fiscal year 2019/20, which plunged to 230,000 in fiscal year 2020/21 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number declined further to 150,700 in the fiscal year 2021/22 as the virus gripped the entire world.

Lamichhane said that the tourist arrival is also unable to meet the target of NTB to bring at least 1.32 million tourists in 2024.

The NTB initial estimate was that the number of visitors this year could increase by at least 10 per cent from the peak year (2019). Based on that estimate, the NTB had estimated a target of 1.32 million tourists.

He said that it will be difficult to achieve the target of attracting the highest number of tourists this year as the arrival of foreign tourists is being affected by natural disasters that occurred in the last week of September, reduced operating hours at Tribhuvan International Airport, air accidents and poor road connectivity.

Lamichhane, however, said that tourist arrivals would increase in the coming years if the NTB and the private sector should make their efforts for marketing to bring more tourists from America and other countries, including China and India.

Top 10 tourist generating markets 

The highest number of tourists arrived in Nepal from India in the month of November. Around 19,915 tourists have come from India while 10,981 tourists from the United States of America and 9,458 tourists from China have visited Nepal, according to the NTB.

Similarly, 6,611 tourists from the United Kingdom, 5,148 tourists from Bangladesh                                                                                                       4,829 people from Australia and 4,462 tourists from Thailand visited the country. A total of 4,395 people from Sri Lanka, 3,926 people from Germany and 3,841 people from France have come to Nepal in the month of November this year.

The share of India in the total tourist arrival in the month of November is 17.4 per cent while the share of the USA is 9.6 per cent, China 8.3 per cent and UK 5.8 per cent. 

Similarly, the share of Bangladesh in the total tourist arrival in the month of November is 4.5 per cent, Australia's 4.2 per cent, Thailand's 3.9 per cent, Sri Lanka's 3.8 per, Germany's 3.4 per cent and France's 3.4 per cent.