With the combined efforts of all involved, we were able to maintain over a million tourist arrivals for the second consecutive year. Considering the current rate of room availability in Nepal, there is a need to increase the number of tourists to 1.5 million in the coming years," stated Binayak Shaha, President of Hotel Association Nepal.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) reported that Nepal received 1,147,567 foreign tourists in 2024, with 92,034 international tourists visiting in December. In 2023, a total of 1,014,882 foreign tourists visited Nepal.

CEO of NTB, Deepak Raj Joshi, attributed the significant growth in international visitor arrivals to the collaborative efforts and partnership spirit that has been nurtured from the beginning. Despite the pandemic being the most significant crisis in the industry's history, the tourism sector has achieved a 96% recovery of pre-pandemic visitor levels.

Joshi emphasized that working closely with the travel trade sector and media is crucial for elevating Nepal's tourism to new heights.

He noted that Nepal's reputation as one of the most preferred tourist destinations has been further solidified by the robust growth in visitor arrivals.

NTB Director Mani Raj Lamichhane expressed optimism about the increase in tourist arrivals in 2024, highlighting that the arrivals in 2024 have been the highest since the coronavirus outbreak.

He mentioned that an average of 3,144 tourists were visiting Nepal daily, marking a significant increase in tourist arrivals since the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourism sector experienced a near standstill from 2020 to 2022 due to the pandemic but has been steadily recovering since then.

Lamichhane attributed this growth to the continuous efforts of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the private sector in promoting various events such as the Nepal Premier League (NPL), World Buddhist Conference, International Balloon Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and national and international fairs and exhibitions.

Charter flights brought over 800 people to Kathmandu and Bhairahawa for the Buddhist Conference. Despite challenges like natural disasters, accidents, travel disruptions, and increased airfares, tourist arrivals showed positive growth. He mentioned that the tourism sector is on track for a 96%

recovery, aligning with the global recovery rate of 97%. The COVID-19-impacted tourism industry is gaining momentum in the fiscal year 2022/23.

In the last fiscal year 2023/24, Nepal welcomed 1.01 million tourists, a significant increase from the 614,000 visitors in 2022/23. The country had received 1.197 million foreign tourists in the fiscal year 2019/20, but this number dropped to 230,000 in 2020/21 and further declined to 150,700 in 2021/22 due to the pandemic.

March saw the highest tourist arrival with 128,167 visitors entering Nepal in 2024. In comparison, October had 124,393 tourists. The numbers for other months were as follows: January - 79,100, February - 97,426, April - 111,376, May - 90,211, June - 76,736, July - 64,599, August - 72,719, September - 96,305, and November - 114,501. The Nepal Tourism Board reported a 43.6% increase in January, 33% in February, 28.9% in March, 12.8% in April, 16.1% in May, and 6% in June compared to 2023.

Foreign visitors also rose by 11.9% in July, 8.3% in August, 5.8% in September, 6% in October, and 5.4% in November 2024. However, December 2024 saw a 4.7% decrease in tourist arrivals compared to December 2023, with 96,568 visitors.

The highest number of tourists arrived in Nepal from India in 2024, with 317,772 visitors. This was followed by 111,216 tourists from the United States of America (USA) and 101,879 tourists from China, according to the NTB. Additionally, 57,554 tourists from the United Kingdom, 48,848 tourists from Bangladesh, 43,980 visitors from Australia, and 30,745 tourists from Thailand visited Nepal. In 2024, Nepal also welcomed 30,226 visitors from Sri Lanka, 29,801 from Germany, and 27,071 from South Korea.

Overall, tourist arrivals from SAARC countries increased by 5.9% compared to the previous year, totaling 417,845 visitors. Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka saw significant growth rates of 33.9%, 42%, and 38.3%, respectively. However, arrivals from India experienced a slight decline of 0.7% compared to 2023. European arrivals also saw growth, with visitors from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands increasing by 8.9%, 10.5%, 8.5%, 11.8%, 12.7%, and 6.3%, respectively.

In 2024, the total number of European arrivals in Nepal reached 206,841, showing a regional growth of 10.4 percent. The number of US visitors to Nepal in 2024 was 111,216, marking a 10.8 percent increase from 2023. Canadian visitors to Nepal in 2024 totaled 16,074, reflecting a 9.4 percent increase from the previous year. Australia and New Zealand also saw significant growth in arrivals, with Australia welcoming 43,980 visitors (a 13.4 percent increase) and New Zealand receiving 4,231 visitors (an 18.4 percent increase).

The hotel revenue for the review period reached a record Rs1.05 billion, up by 9.44 percent. The hotel attributed this growth to the strong tourist arrivals in the September-November period, particularly from India and China, indicating a recovery to pre-Covid levels.

Nepal saw over 1 million tourists visit the country in 2024, driven by the reopening of the China border and a surge in arrivals from India. This marked the second time in four years that Nepal surpassed the million-tourist mark, highlighting the country's appeal as a tourist destination.

The increase in tourist arrivals has brought optimism to the KP Oli-led government, especially as other economic indicators are weak and the country is experiencing significant emigration due to the lack of job opportunities. In 2018, the number of foreign tourists exceeded one million for the first time, reaching 1.17 million.

This figure slightly increased to 1.19 million in 2019, thanks to improved flight connections with various Chinese cities. The Tourism Department reports that Nepal now boasts more than two dozen five-star hotels, with several more in de

velopment. Notably, Hotel Mechi Crown in Jhapa has been designated as the country's first five-star deluxe property. While revenue has increased for five-star hotels, other establishments have not seen the same level of growth. With the completion of several

five-star hotels and an increase in hotel room availability, Nepal aims to attract at least 1.5 million tourists. The recent expansion of Tribhuvan International Airport by 33 percent, along with the upcoming operation of Gautama Buddha International Airport and Pokhara International Airport, presents significant opportunities for Nepal to welcome more tourists.

Nepal welcomed over 1 million tourists between January and December of 2024, following China’s border reopening and record arrivals from India.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, the country’s tourism promotional body, the arrival numbers crossed the million mark for the second time in four years. This is the fourth instance that Nepal has received over a million tourists.

The rise in tourist arrivals has cheered the KP Oli-led administration at a time when other economic indicators are poor, and the country is witnessing a massive out-migration due to the lack of decent job opportunities at home.

Arrivals crossed the coveted one-million mark for the first time in 2018, with 1.17 million foreign tourists streaming into the country. In 2019, the number rose slightly to 1.19 million following better flight connectivity with several Chinese cities.

According to the Tourism Department, the country now has over two dozen five-star properties. Nearly half a dozen five-star properties are in the pipeline.

A large number of hotels have opened outside the Kathmandu Valley in recent years. Hotel Mechi Crown in Jhapa has been granted five-star deluxe status, the country’s first deluxe property.

Insiders say that while revenue has surged for five-star properties, businesses at other establishments have not grown as expected.

At a time when hotel room availability continues to increase with half a dozen five-star hotels in the final stage of completion, Nepal needs to increase the number of tourists to at least 1.5 million.

Following the enhancement of capacity at TIA by 33 percent and the full operation of Gautama Buddha International Airport and Pokhara International Airport, Nepal has huge possibilities to see tourist arrivals.