Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 4

Tourist arrivals by air in January shows a growth of 40 per cent. The total number of international tourists reached 22,552, a net addition of 6,499 in comparison to the same period last year.

However, last year Indian tourists had recorded an increase of 19 per cent and non-Indian tourists, 51 per cent.

The growth continues in arrival from major markets like Japan, USA, UK and quite significantly, from China.

The Chinese market, which had been showing signs of progress over the last year, showed a record growth of 147 per cent. The reason is attributed to the Chinese New Year which falls in January and the marketing campaign carried out by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) along with RNAC and the private sector last year. The Nepal Tourism Board has been hosting a series of familiarisation trips and creating market linkages with Chinese travel trade.

In the meantime, a significant growth has also been observed from Taiwan with a 83 per cent increase. Japanese arrivals also grew by 23 per cent, whereas USA and UK showed growth of eight per cent and 27 per cent respectively. Other markets showing gains were Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Bangladesh as well as European markets like France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Norway.

Tek Bahadur Dangi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) says February is expected to mark another milestone in Indian visitor arrivals, as NTB alongwith RNAC and Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) have jointly launched a Pashupatinath Darshan Package in India to attract more visitors for the forthcoming festival of Mahashivaratri on February 18.

The campaign was organised recently in four prominent Indian cities of Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Provided there is a better air connectivity with India and China, there is no doubt that tourist arrivals will rise even higher.