KATHMANDU, MARCH 3 Nepal recorded 105,441 International Visitor Arrivals (IVAs) in February 2026, marking sustained recovery and growth in the tourism sector, according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). The figure represents an 8.8 percent increase compared to February 2025, when 96,880 foreign tourists visited the country. Arrivals were also 2.9 percent higher than the pre-pandemic level of February 2019, which recorded 102,423 visitors. Overall, the February 2026 arrivals reflect a 102.9 percent recovery compared to 2019 levels. India remained the largest source market with 22,745 visitors, accounting for 21.6 percent of total arrivals. China followed with 10,816 visitors (10.3 percent), while the United States contributed 9,710 visitors (9.2 percent). Sri Lanka and Myanmar ranked fourth and fifth, with 7,515 (7.1 percent) and 6,035 (5.7 percent) visitors respectively. Tourists from SAARC countries accounted for 33.5 percent of total arrivals, followed by other Asian countries at 28.3 percent. Europe contributed 16.6 percent, the Americas 11.2 percent, Oceania 1.6 percent, the Middle East 0.9 percent, and Africa 0.3 percent, while other regions made up 7.5 percent. The NTB stated that the encouraging figures reflect sustained global confidence in Nepal as a premier travel destination and reaffirm its commitment to positioning the country as a 'lifetime experience' destination. The data is based on monthly raw figures provided by the Department of Immigration and analysed and compiled by the Nepal Tourism Board.