Nepal sees close to half a million visitors in first half of 2023

KATHMANDU: Tourist arrivals to Nepal during the first six months of the year have rebounded to pre-COVID levels, data released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) shows. A total of 476,481 foreign tourists entered the country via the aerial route in the first half of 2023. In June alone, visitor numbers reached 72,250, showcasing significant growth compared to 102 in June 2020, 1,187 in June 2021, and 46,957 in June 2022.

Nepal welcomed 1.12 million foreign tourists in 2019.

Tourist arrivals have shown consistent improvement throughout 2023. In January, Nepal welcomed 55,074 foreign tourists, followed by 73,255 in February, 99,426 in March, 98,773 in April, and 77,703 in May.

The June-August period is typically considered the off-season for the Nepali tourism industry as monsoon rains peak during these months. The autumn tourism season in Nepal begins in September.

The majority of tourists visiting Nepal are from SAARC countries, accounting for 41.19% of the total arrivals in the six-month period. Additionally, 15.03% of the arrivals were from Asia (excluding SAARC), 17.46% from Europe, 11.92% from the Americas, 4.05% from Oceania, and 10.35% from other countries.

In terms of nationalities, the highest number of visitors came from India, totaling 167,605. This is 35.18% of total arrivals in the six-month period. The number only includes arrivals via air, as Nepal does not count Indian nationals entering the country via land routes. The United States ranked second with 49,443 visitors in the six-month period, followed by the United Kingdom with 24,264 visitors, China with 20,117 visitors, and Australia with 17,696 visitors.