Himalayan ranges of Nepal are its biggest tourist attraction
Nepal has reached a significant milestone in tourism, with over 1.06 million foreign visitors in the first 11 months of 2024. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), this marks an increase of 5.4 pc from the same period in 2023, but tourist arrivals are still below the pre-pandemic figure at 87.87 pc of 2019’s record figures, adds the board.
According to the data released by NTB, March and October saw the highest visitations of over 128,000 and 124,000 visitors each respectively. The lowest arrivals in the year so far have been in July at 64,600 and June at just under 77,000. In November, the number of total foreign tourist arrivals was over 114,500.
NTB says that India remains Nepal’s largest source market of visitors, contributing 19,915 or 17.4 pc of total arrivals in November and 293,000 from January to November 2024, a hefty 29 pc of the total international arrivals in Nepal.
In the month of November, NTB says that India was followed by the United States of America with 10,981 visitors, China with 9,458, the United Kingdom with 6,611 and Bangladesh with 5,148 tourists follow as major contributors. Next in the list are Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Germany and France, says NTB.
However, despite progress, Nepal’s tourism sector has faced obstacles, including natural disasters in September, reduced operating hours at Tribhuvan International Airport, air accidents, and poor road infrastructure. These issues have hindered NTB’s goal of 1.32 million tourists for 2024.
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), however, has expressed optimism about the sector’s future, citing the recovery rate of 88 pc compared to 2019 as encouraging. The board emphasised the need for stronger marketing campaigns targeting the USA, China and India to attract more visitors.
Tourism Trends at a Glance
- 2019 (Peak Year): 1.19 million tourists
- 2020/21 (Pandemic Impact): 230,000
- 2021/22: 150,700
- 2022/23: 614,000
- 2023/24: 1.01 million
"
