Tourist arrivals in Nepal increase by 6% in October despite natural disasters
Kathmandu: Nepal saw a notable increase in tourist arrivals in October, with over 124,000 visitors entering the country by air, marking a 6.04 percent rise compared to the same month last year. A total of 124,393 tourists visited Nepal in October, up from 117,306 in October 2023, according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).
Despite the increase in arrivals, the NTB noted that the devastating floods and landslides in late September affected the overall tourist flow. Many roads, including key routes leading out of Kathmandu, were blocked due to the natural disasters, resulting in travel delays and cancellations. As a result, some tourists chose to postpone their trips to Nepal. NTB Director Mani Raj Lamichhane emphasized that the number of tourists would likely have been higher had the roads not been disrupted.
The floods, which were triggered by heavy rains on September 28, caused significant infrastructure damage, especially along roads leading to popular tourist destinations in the region. These road closures led some travelers to cancel or delay their bookings to Nepal.
In terms of arrivals, India remains the largest source of tourists to Nepal. In October, 16,313 Indian tourists visited Nepal by air, accounting for 13.11 percent of the total arrivals. However, this number marked a decline compared to last year, when 18,480 Indian visitors entered the country in October.
The United States ranked second in terms of tourist arrivals, with 16,023 American visitors in October, a slight increase from the 14,879 U.S. tourists who visited Nepal in the same month last year.
Other significant source countries included the United Kingdom (8,019 tourists), China (7,750 tourists), and Australia (6,929 tourists). Notable numbers were also recorded from Germany (6,018), France (5,485), Bangladesh (4,476), Sri Lanka (3,125), and Italy (2,635).
Overall, Nepal has seen a strong year for tourism, with approximately 941,032 tourists entering the country over the first 10 months of 2024. This represents a 15.31 percent increase from the same period last year, when 816,000 tourists visited the country.
The NTB remains optimistic that Nepal’s tourism industry will continue to grow, even as the country recovers from the challenges posed by recent natural disasters.