Himal Press 
Tourists enjoy views of mountains at Poon Hill in the Annapurna Region in this undated photo. (Photo Courtesy: NTB)
KATHMANDU: Nepal welcomed 117,306 foreign tourists via air in October, marking the highest monthly arrivals since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this, total tourist arrivals in Nepal this year have crossed 800,000.
The October arrivals surpassed the total foreign tourist count in October 2019, when Nepal welcomed 110,000 visitors. In contrast, in October 2022, only 52,121 foreign tourists visited Nepal.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), India was the largest source market for Nepal in October, contributing 18,480 visitors, followed by the United States with 14,879, the United Kingdom with 8,219, China with 6,880, Australia with 6,075, Germany with 5,916, France with 5,271, and Bangladesh with 4,292 visitors.
The autumn season, which spans from September to December, is Nepal’s peak tourist season as trekkers get to enjoy the best views after the monsoon rains.
In the first ten months of 2023, Nepal has received 809,372 tourists via air. The highest tourist footfall was recorded in October, with 117,306 foreign tourists, while the lowest was in July, with 57,726 arrivals.
