Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: International visitor arrivals to Nepal increased by 13.07% in 2024, with 1,147,567 foreign tourists visiting the country via air compared to 1,014,882 in 2023.
Tourist arrivals posted a negative growth of 4.7% in December 2024 compared to the same month last year. December was the only month when tourist arrivals posted negative growth in 2024.
Despite the growth, international visitor arrivals in 2024 were 4.14% less when compared to 2019 when Nepal welcomed a record 1,197,191 foreign tourists. Government officials and tourism stakeholders had expected international visitor arrivals to reach the pre-COVID levels in 2024. However, it did not materialize.
The year 2024 marked the second straight year when Nepal breached the one million mark in visitor arrivals. Nepal first breached the one-million mark in 2018 when it welcomed 1,173,072 foreign visitors. The number rose slightly to 1,197,191 in 2019, which remains the record high in Nepali tourism history. The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the tourism industry worldwide, with arrivals to Nepal plummeting to 230,085 in 2020 and further declining to 150,962 in 2021. It was the lowest since 1977 when 129,329 foreign tourists visited the country.
After the effects of the pandemic subsided, tourist arrivals rebounded, with numbers reaching 614,869 in 2022 and crossing the one-million mark again in 2023. In 2024, Nepal received the highest number of tourists in March with 128,167 arrivals, followed by October with 124,393, November with 114,501, and April with 111,376 arrivals.
Meanwhile, international tourism is on track for full recovery by the end of the year with spending growing faster than arrivals. According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international arrivals reached 98% of 2019 levels in January-September 2024. The Asia and the Pacific region recorded 85% of the pre-COVID arrivals in the January-September period.
India largest tourism market
India has remained the largest tourism market for Nepal for decades.
A total of 317,772 Indians visited Nepal via air during the review year, accounting for 27.69% of total tourist arrivals in 2024. The United States was the second-largest source market, with 112,216 visitors, representing 9.69% of total arrivals. China was the third-largest source market, with 101,879 visitors, representing 8.88% of total tourist arrivals during the year.
In terms of market segment, South Asia contributed 36.41% of total tourist arrivals during the year, followed by Asia (Other) with 19.79% of total visitors, Europe with 18.02%, Americas with 11.09%, Oceania with 4.2%, Middle East with 1.2%, and Others with 9.28%.
