Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal welcomed 85,444 international visitors in August, a 3.6% decline from the same month last year, according to the latest arrival figures released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).
While the NTB has not said what caused the decline in visitor numbers, industry people say many visitors postponed their visits following the devastating Bhotekoshi floods of August 26. The disaster claimed more than 1,350 lives, while nearly 5,000, including some 500 foreign nationals, are still missing.
As usual, India remained the largest source of international visitors, with 26,373 arrivals. Arrivals from the southern neighbor accounted for 30.87% of the total arrivals. China followed with 10,304 arrivals, or 12.06% of total arrivals. Sri Lanka came third with 8,710 visitors, followed by the United States (6,293) and Bangladesh (4,487).
The monsoon months of June, July and August are considered lean months for the Nepali tourism industry. The autumn season begins in mid-September and continues through December. In recent years, however, Nepal has been receiving a sizeable number of visitors traveling to the Kailash-Mansarovar region of Tibet, China, in these monsoon months. However, the devastation of the Rasuwagadhi border, the most popular immigration point for visitors heading to the Kailash-Mansarovar region, has dealt a severe blow to the tourism industry.
Region-wise, visitors from South Asia accounted for 48.5% of total arrivals, making it the largest regional market. Other Asian countries contributed 21.4%, while Europe accounted for 12.7% of total visitors. Similarly, the Americas contributed 8.7% of arrivals, followed by Oceania at 3%, the Middle East at 1.2% and Africa at 0.4%. Other markets accounted for 4.1%.
Despite the small decline in August, total international visitor arrivals over the first eight months of 2026 increased by 5.58%.
Nepal welcomed 777,672 international visitors in the first eight months of 2026, compared with 736,562 in the same period of 2025.
