KATHMANDU: Nepal welcomed more than a million foreign tourists arriving by air throughout the year 2023.
According to Nepal Tourism Board statistics, as of 5:00 AM this morning, 1,008,614 tourists had arrived in Nepal.
This marks the achievement of the government’s target of attracting one million foreign tourists in 2023, a goal mentioned in the current fiscal year’s budget.
The country’s tourism, significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, has nearly returned to its former state. The NTB reports an almost 85 percent recovery in tourism this year.
“In 2019, approximately 1.2 million foreign tourists visited Nepal, so this year’s tourist arrivals are encouraging,” commented NTB Director Maniraj Lamichhane. Most of the tourists entered through the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, exceeding one million arrivals.
Meanwhile, Binayak Shah, President of the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), anticipates a further rise in tourist numbers shortly. Shah emphasizes that with increased collaboration between the government and the private sector, the influx of tourists is expected to grow.
It’s worth noting that the government has declared 2025 as Visit Nepal Year. Additionally, the years from 2023 to 2032 are designated as the “Tourism Decade,” aiming to attract 3.5 million tourists.
Moreover, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Indian tourists this year. In 2019, Nepal welcomed 254,150 Indian tourists, while this year saw 317,481 arrivals. Similarly, American tourist arrivals reached 99,985 this year, a rise from 93,241 in 2019.
The number of Chinese tourists is also on the rise, with 60,160 arrivals this year compared to 169,543 in 2019.
RSS
Comment