Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal welcomed 132,814 international tourists in October, up 3.4% from 128,443 in the same month last year.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the US was the largest source market for international visitors to Nepal in October. Data show 17,437 American tourists visited Nepal in October, up from 13,286 in the same month last year and 8,299 in September 2026.
India, traditionally Nepal’s largest source market, slipped to second place with 12,097 visitors, down sharply from 17,298 in October last year.
China ranked third with 11,695 visitors, nearly double the 6,755 recorded in the same month last year.
The United Kingdom and Australia were the other major source markets, with 9,385 and 9,352 visitors, respectively. Germany accounted for 6,114 arrivals, followed by Sri Lanka (5,560), Bangladesh (4,893), France (4,164) and Myanmar (3,025).
The regional breakdown shows a sharp decline in arrivals from South Asian countries, largely due to the drop in Indian visitors. Tourist arrivals from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries fell 17.2% to 24,053 in October from 29,060 in the same month last year.
In contrast, Europe recorded 39,877 arrivals, a significant increase from 15,148 a year earlier. Arrivals from the Americas also increased to 21,270 from 16,407.
With October’s arrivals, the total number of international visitors to Nepal in the first 10 months of 2026 reached 998,734. This represents a 5.83% growth from 943,716 in the same period last year.
Monthly arrivals were higher year-on-year in January, February, May, June, July, September and October. However, arrivals declined in March, April and August compared to the corresponding months of 2025.
Nepal welcomed a record 1,197,191 international visitors in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted global tourism. The country’s tourism sector has since seen a steady recovery, recording 1,147,567 arrivals in 2024 and 1,158,459 in 2025.
If the current arrival momentum sustains through the final two months of the year, Nepal is on track to surpass its pre-pandemic benchmark and set a new record for international visitor arrivals.
