Almost 600,000 foreign tourists arrive in Nepal via air in first half of 2024

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has reported that nearly 600,000 foreign tourists have arrived in Nepal by air in the first six months of 2024. By the end of June, the number of foreign visitors had reached 583,016, highlighting a strong recovery in the tourism sector.

In June alone, Nepal welcomed 76,736 foreign guests, with NTB Director Mani Raj Lamichhane noting, “The arrival of tourists in June was satisfactory.” This represents a 6.21% increase compared to June 2023, when 72,250 foreign guests visited. The current numbers also surpass the pre-pandemic record of June 2019, which saw 74,883 tourists.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is evident in the drastically lower numbers in previous years, with only 102 tourists in June 2020, 11,887 in June 2021, and 46,957 in June 2022.

Tourist arrivals have been steadily increasing each month in 2024. January saw 79,100 foreign tourists, February 97,426, March 128,167, April 111,376, and May 90,211.

The government aims to further boost tourism, setting a target of 1.6 million tourists for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget announced on May 28 includes plans for tourism promotion programs, such as road shows, fairs, and festivals in major cities of India, China, and other countries, and identifying new destinations to attract visitors.

The highest number of foreign tourists in June came from India, with 37,835 visitors. American tourists numbered 8,281, followed by 7,494 Chinese visitors. Lamichhane emphasized the need to attract more Chinese tourists, stating, “The arrival of Indian and American guests is satisfactory. However, the arrival of Chinese tourists has not increased as expected.” He cited the weak purchasing power of Chinese citizens traveling abroad as a factor affecting their numbers.

The steady rise in tourist arrivals indicates a positive trend for Nepal’s tourism sector, with hopes of reaching and surpassing pre-pandemic levels in the near future.