Tourist arrivals marginally down in 2014

KATHMANDU, March 12: The number of tourist visiting Nepal via air went down by a marginal 0.3 percent in 2014 compared to arrival figures of 2013.
Data released by Immigration Office at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) shows a total of 585,981 foreign tourists came to Nepal via air in the review year. In 2013, a total of 587,842 had flown into Nepal via TIA.

The figures, however, are not the exact figures as the Immigration Office does not have complete arrival figures of September, October, November and December.

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Officials say arrival figures for these months have been calculated based on the corresponding proportion of the arrival from land and air for the respective country in 2013. "Likewise for the month of January and February 2014, the total figures have been obtained from the passenger manifesto," a statement issued by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said.

According to the figures, Nepal observed sustained growth in international tourist arrivals in the months of January, February, April and May. But arrivals started declining from June. “The decline suggests that Nepal needs to promote its tourism products in the international market more aggressively,” said the statement.

Sagar Pandey, general secretary of Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN), attribute drop in tourist arrivals after June to the tragic avalanche in Mt Everest in April. "Many tourists planning to visit Nepal cancelled their trips after the incident," Pandey added.