KATHMANDU, April 4: The number of tourists in Nepal has increased significantly in the month of March. The tourism sector, which has been slowing down for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been slowly recovering with the recent increase in tourist arrivals.

On Monday, Nepal Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dhananjay Regmi said that Nepal's tourism business has recovered by 45 percent. 

Regmi shared that as many as 15,013 tourists came from neighboring India in March 2021. Similarly, more tourists from Bangladesh entered Nepal as compared to the same period in the year 2019. As compared to 2019, Nepal saw a decline of just 2.4 percent in tourists from Asia visiting the country.

Stating that some other Asian countries have not opened their borders as well as airlines services, Regmi shared that more tourists from those countries are yet to visit the country. He also said that Nepal has recorded a decline of 93 percent in tourists from China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Myanmar and Thailand. 

Similarly, the country has seen a decline of 44 percent from American tourists and  a decline of 45 percent of European tourists.

On the occasion, Regmi mentioned that the tourism sector has recovered by 45 percent. He also said that as many as 100 people are receiving travel permits on a daily basis for trekking purposes. 

Regmi stressed on the need to attract more Indian tourists for the expansion of Nepal's tourism sector. He said that Indian tourists should be facilitated to enter Nepal and exchange money.

Regmi also said that the Nepal government should focus on policy reforms to facilitate Indian tourists in Nepal. He asked all stakeholders concerned to treat Indian tourists as tourists and not give unnecessary hassles.

 
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