Nepal Welcomes Over 1 Million Tourists in 11 Months of 2024
Nepal has achieved a significant milestone in 2024, surpassing one million tourist arrivals within the first 11 months. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), 1,055,533 foreign visitors arrived by November, with 114,501 recorded in November alone. This marks a 5.40% increase compared to the same period in 2023 but is still 87.87% of the pre-pandemic figures from 2019.
In 2019, 1,096,325 tourists arrived by November, with 130,302 visiting in November alone. While Nepal saw its highest monthly arrivals this year in March (128,167) and October (124,393), the recovery remains steady yet below NTB’s target of attracting 1.32 million tourists in 2024.
Monthly Tourist Arrivals in 2024
- January: 79,100
- February: 97,426
- March: 128,167
- April: 111,376
- May: 90,211
- June: 76,736
- July: 64,600
- August: 72,719
- September: 96,305
- October: 124,393
- November: 114,501
Despite the overall growth, NTB Director Mani Raj Lamichhane noted challenges such as natural disasters, reduced airport operating hours, air accidents, and poor road connectivity as factors limiting tourist numbers.
Top Tourist Sources in November
India continues to dominate as the leading tourist source, contributing 17.4% of total arrivals in November. Other significant contributors include:
- USA: 10,981 (9.6%)
- China: 9,458 (8.3%)
- UK: 6,611 (5.8%)
- Bangladesh: 5,148 (4.5%)
- Australia: 4,829 (4.2%)
- Thailand: 4,462 (3.9%)
- Sri Lanka: 4,395 (3.8%)
- Germany: 3,926 (3.4%)
- France: 3,841 (3.4%)
The tourism sector, severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, is regaining momentum. Tourist arrivals dropped drastically to 230,000 in 2020/21 and 150,700 in 2021/22 but rebounded to 614,000 in 2022/23 and over 1 million in 2023/24.
Lamichhane emphasized that Nepal’s recovery rate of 88% compared to 2019 is encouraging. To achieve higher numbers in the coming years, he highlighted the need for intensified marketing efforts targeting markets like the USA, China, India, and Europe.
While challenges remain, the NTB is optimistic about leveraging strategic collaborations with the private sector to attract more tourists and boost Nepal’s tourism industry.
