Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, July 6:

Following five consecutive months of fall, tourist arrival numbers by air recovered for the first time this year. Tourist arrivals for the month of June recorded an increase of one per cent compared to the same period last year.

According to tourist arrivals figure released by the ministry of culture, tourism and civil aviation and compiled by Nepal Tourism Board, a total of 18,840 arrived in Nepal during the month, while last year’s figure stood at 18,670. Indian tourist arrivals substantially contributed to last month’s increased figure, as the number of Indian tourists increased by five per cent, taking total arrivals to 11,532. Indian tourists’ market share also grew to 61 per cent.

To attract more visitors from India, NTB has been carrying out various promotional efforts. In the last fiscal year alone, NTB invited ten groups (47 members) of people from print and electronic media from India, including a 25-member team of tour operators in collaboration with Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents, for a FAM trip. Various promotional packages have also been floated in collaboration with Royal Nepal Airlines and Cosmic Air.

Asian arrivals particularly from SAARC and East Asian region have also shown positive results during the month. Owing to the continuous support from government and persistent promotional efforts, arrival trends from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Bangladesh have shown a growth. FAM trips, press meets and media campaigns were carried out in other markets. Arrivals from Japan increased by 10 per cent.

Arrivals from European market however, declined by 12 per cent during the month. Arrivals from major European markets such as Britain, Germany and France all declined by three per cent, 38 per cent and seven per cent respectively. Some gains were observed from Switzerland, Italy and Denmark markets. Nepal’s another big market — the US, declined by 22 per cent, although it maintained a market share of six per cent.