Tourist arrival shows signs of recovery

The total number of international tourist visitors has reached 601,360 in the eight months of 2023. Compared to the previous year 2022, the total tourist arrivals in the last eight months have grown by 97%. 

Tourists visiting the country in the same period were 743,290 in 2019 which means that the country is yet to reach the pre-pandemic level. 

In the month of August, the country welcomed a total of 67,153 international tourists — a 62.5% y-o-y growth. The top 5 source countries were India (26,665), followed by China (5,027), the United States (4,629), Sri Lanka (3,858), and Bangladesh (3,190). 

Other countries included the UK (2,711), Spain (1,588), Japan (1,520), Italy (1,496), and Australia (1,347), among others.

The number of tourists arriving between these months during 2019, 2022, and 2023 are as follows: 

Nepal usually receives a higher number of arrivals during the season of February to April and September to December which are considered to be peak months for tourism.

In 2019, Nepal received 453,901 tourists from September to December.

Considering the recent growth rates and the upcoming season, the country is likely to cross the one million mark.