Over 1.2 million roreign tourists visit Nepal in FY 2082/83

Kathmandu, July 25: Nepal welcomed 1,209,357 foreign tourists during the fiscal year 2082/83, reflecting continued recovery and growth in the country’s tourism sector, according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).

India remained Nepal’s largest source market with 311,531 visitors, accounting for 25.76 percent of total international arrivals. The United States ranked second with 111,325 visitors, followed closely by China with 109,892.

Other major source markets included Bangladesh (58,163), the United Kingdom (56,649), Australia (53,195), Sri Lanka (43,211), Bhutan (36,289), Myanmar (30,737), Germany (29,296), Thailand (27,201), Japan (25,762), and Malaysia (25,640).

According to NTB’s international tourist arrival data, Kartik recorded the highest monthly arrivals during the fiscal year with 124,829 visitors. It was followed by Chaitra with 119,390, Falgun with 114,152, and Asoj with 111,780 arrivals.

To strengthen Nepal’s position in key tourism markets, the Nepal Tourism Board intensified promotional campaigns, particularly in neighbouring India and China. During the fiscal year, the Board organised more than 12 promotional programmes in major Indian cities, including Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi. In total, more than 40 international tourism promotion programmes were conducted across various overseas markets.

The Board also organised cross-border tourism marts, fairs and investment promotion events across Nepal’s southern border districts—from Jhapa in the east to Kanchanpur in the west—during the final three months of the fiscal year. These initiatives aimed to attract investment in tourism infrastructure in the Terai region and boost cross-border tourism. According to the NTB, tourist arrivals through land border points increased significantly following these efforts.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, Hikmat Singh Air, said the positive growth in visitor numbers was driven by sustained international promotion, improved air connectivity and close collaboration with the private sector.

He said the latest arrival figures indicate that Nepal’s tourism industry has moved beyond post-pandemic recovery and is now progressing towards sustainable growth. He added that the Board will continue targeted promotional campaigns in established source markets while expanding outreach to emerging markets throughout the year.

Highlighting the growing importance of the Chinese market, Air stressed the need to strengthen business-to-business (B2B) networking and conduct regular international sales missions to convert China’s tourism potential into higher visitor arrivals. He also called for stronger promotional efforts in other high-potential markets, including the United States, Australia and Bangladesh.

According to Air, the Nepal Tourism Board plans to expand these promotional activities in partnership with the private sector under the budget for the fiscal year 2083/84, with a focus on making tourism marketing more result-oriented.

He also noted that the Government of Nepal has declared 2027 as Health Tourism Year, expressing confidence that the initiative will further increase international tourist arrivals.

The Nepal Tourism Board said it will continue to diversify its international marketing efforts beyond traditional source markets, with the goal of attracting higher-spending visitors, increasing their average length of stay and promoting Nepal as a year-round tourism destination.