In recent news, India has taken the lead as the highest contributor of tourists to Nepal in February. The Tourism Department of Nepal shared this news, indicating a positive trend in the recovery of Nepal’s tourism sector after the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) released data showing that out of 97,426 tourists who visited Nepal by air in February, 25,578 were from India. China and the United States followed, with 9,180 and 9,089 visitors respectively. Thailand came in fourth with 4,799 tourists, while the United Kingdom and Bangladesh were in fifth and sixth places, bringing in 4,571 and 4,099 tourists accordingly.
NTB Director Mani Lamichhane mentioned that the actual number of Indian tourists might be even higher than reported because many travel to Nepal by land, which is not fully captured in these figures. In comparison, January saw 18,041 visitors from India.
The tourism data for February shows a 33% increase in air arrivals to Nepal compared to February of the previous year, which saw 73,255 visitors. This represents a significant recovery from the pre-COVID period in 2019, with February 2023’s figures reaching 95.12% of the 2019 levels when 102,423 tourists visited.
With the tourism season in Nepal beginning in March, expectations are high for an increase in tourist arrivals. The NTB believes that the tourism sector, heavily affected by the pandemic, is on a path to full recovery by 2024, with the recent data serving as a positive sign.
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