Slow tourism growth in first half of 2025 raises concerns over annual target

KATHMANDU, July 5: Nepal welcomed a total of 577,689 foreign tourists in the first six months of 2025, raising doubts about the government's projection of a 10% annual increase over last year’s arrivals.

In 2024, the country recorded 1,147,548 international tourist arrivals. Based on that figure, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) had hoped to surpass 1.26 million visitors in 2025—an increase of approximately 114,000. However, halfway through the year, the growth trend has remained sluggish.

According to NTB officials, several factors have hindered this year's progress: reduced international promotion, difficult travel access to Nepal, expensive airfare, and ongoing conflicts in various countries. These challenges have made it harder to meet projected numbers.

“It’s already mid-2025, and we haven’t even matched last year’s numbers for this period,” said Maniraj Lamichhane, NTB’s chief in Pokhara, “The target of a 10% increase now seems difficult to achieve.”

In comparison, 583,011 tourists had entered Nepal during the same period in 2024. That number had marked a significant rebound from the COVID-19 downturn. In 2019—the best tourism year to date—573,658 visitors had arrived in the first six months, before the pandemic led to a sharp global decline.

Lamichhane explained that while global tourism has been recovering at a rate of 6–8% annually, Nepal’s high travel costs remain a barrier. “Tourists find Nepal expensive to reach. High airfare has diverted many toward cheaper destinations like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand,” he said.

Although India remains the largest source of tourists to Nepal, Lamichhane noted that even Indian arrivals have not met expectations. Negative perceptions about Nepal’s highways—particularly the condition of the Butwal–Narayangadh section—have also affected overland travel from India. “Poor road conditions have discouraged Indian visitors, further weakening a sector that could have seen early recovery,” he added.

Tourism entrepreneurs are also voicing concern. Ganesh Bahadur Bhattarai, a senior tourism operator based in Pokhara, described the industry as sluggish. “Business infrastructure has expanded, but visitor numbers haven’t kept pace,” he said. “Neither domestic nor international tourism has picked up as hoped. Without sustained effort, revival won’t happen.”

From January to June 2025, Nepal saw a fluctuating trend in monthly foreign tourist arrivals. The year began modestly, with 79,991 visitors in January, followed by a rise to 96,880 in February. March marked the peak of the half-year period with 121,687 arrivals, reflecting a seasonal upswing. However, numbers slightly dipped in April to 116,490, and then dropped more sharply in May to 86,216. By June, arrivals further declined to 76,425, though this figure still set a new record for the highest number of tourists ever to enter Nepal in the month of June.

Interestingly, June recorded the highest-ever number of visitors for that month in Nepal’s history. In 2025, 76,425 tourists arrived by air in June, compared to 76,333 in June 2024 and 72,250 in June 2023. Pre-COVID, June 2019 saw 74,883 arrivals.

In terms of origin, India continued to be the leading source of tourists, contributing 32,662 visitors in June alone. The United States ranked second, with 9,696 arrivals, while China stood third, sending 6,736 visitors during the same month. Despite overall challenges in meeting projected growth, the steady inflow from these key markets offered some relief to Nepal’s struggling tourism sector.