Kathmandu, April 2
Nearly 100,000 foreign tourists entered Nepal in the previous month, indicating a strong recovery in the country's tourism sector compared to the past years.
According to the data released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) today, a total of 99,426 international tourists visited Nepal in March, which is a substantial increase from the 42,006 tourists who arrived in the corresponding month of 2022, 15,254 in March of 2021, and 42,776 in March of 2020.
However, the arrivals are yet to recover to the pre-pandemic level, when 127,351 tourists had visited Nepal in March of 2019.
Maniraj Lamichhane, director of NTB, stated that the recent surge in tourist arrivals is a positive sign for Nepal's tourism industry and indicates a significant recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The tourists' arrival in last month was almost 100,000, a 78 per cent recovery compared to same month in 2019," Lamichhane told The Himalayan Times.
Lamichhane further stated that Nepal's tourism industry is steadily recovering and poised for further growth in the coming months.
"The recovery rate of Nepal's tourism industry was 60 per cent last year and has now surged by an additional 15 per cent this year," he said.
"The trend of increased arrivals of foreign visitors is expected to continue throughout the months of April and May, which is a suitable time for trekking and expedition activities."
In March, India emerged as the top source country for tourists visiting Nepal, with atotal of 25,911 Indian nationals visiting the country. This number constituted 26.1 per cent of the total international tourists who arrived in Nepal during the review period. In comparison, the number of Indian tourists who visited Nepal during the same month in the previous year was 15,013.
The United States was the second-largest source country of tourists visiting Nepal in March, with a total of 9,557 American nationals arriving in the country. This figure is a significant increase from the 4,896 American tourists who visited Nepal during the same month in the previous year.
The United Kingdom secured third position with 6,133 British tourists, while Germany came in the fourth position with 4,149 Germans making Nepal their travel destination.
In March, a total of 2,635 Chinese tourists visited Nepal, following the lifting of strict COVID restrictions by China, Nepal's northern neighbour.
Lamichhane said that Nepal's tourism industry has a loyal base of visitors who continue to value the country's cultural and natural attractions, even in the face of challenging circumstances.
"Despite global and internal crises, certain groups of tourists, particularly from the American and European continents, have consistently shown their support and love for Nepal by visiting the country."
In terms of the geographic region, 33.6 per cent were from the SAARC countries, as per the NTB.
Likewise, 23.4 per cent of the total visitors were from European countries in March, while 11.3 per cent were from the Americas. The arrivals from Asia, Oceania, Middle East and others stood at 15.7 per cent, four per cent, 1.5 per cent and 10.4 per cent, respectively.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 3, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
