Nepal achieves record-high influx of tourists in March, the highest in last four years

The year-on-year tourists’ arrival surged 28.90 percent last month with 128,167 visitors

KATHMANDU, April 2: Nepal’s tourism industry seems to have bounced back with a notable number of foreigners arriving via air routes last month. According to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the number of foreign visitors in March surged by 28.90 percent compared to the same period of last year.

The NTB reported that 128,167 tourists from various countries entered Nepal by air in March alone. The inflow of tourists in the review month was a record high in the past four years. In March 2023, the number of tourists who visited Nepal stood at 99,426. This does not include the tourists visiting Nepal through land routes.

In the three months of January-March, Nepal welcomed a total of 304,693 air travelers. In January, the number was 79,100 while in February, it stood at 97,426.

According to the NTB, the tourism market has started to witness a notable growth with an increase in the inflow of visitors. Maniraj Lamichhane, director of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), said the notable surge in the numbers shows a sign of the recovery of the sector. The country’s tourism business suffered largely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 after 2020.

According to tourism entrepreneurs, it is a good sign that the first month of the commencement of the tourist season has seen a notable increase in the influx of foreign tourists to Nepal. The months of March, April, and May traditionally see a surge in tourism activities in Nepal, with many visitors coming for trekking and mountain climbing.

Last month, the largest group of tourists came from India, totaling 30,698. The figure was 25,911 in the corresponding month last year. Likewise, the Chinese visitors also increased 4.59 percent to 12,093 in March.

Among the visitors from third countries, 10,763 individuals came from the USA, 7,241 from Britain, 5,741 from Sri Lanka, 5,255 from Germany, 4,567 from Thailand, 4,345 from Australia, 3,240 from France, while 3,131 individuals were from Myanmar in the review month.

The government met the target of welcoming more than 1 million tourists in the country in 2023. Previously in 2019, a total of 1,197,191 individuals had visited the mountainous country.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, the number fell straight to 230,085 visitors in 2020. The number further shrunk to 149,833 visitors in 2021. The number took an upward leap in 2022, with the number of influx of tourists in the country recorded at 614,148.