In what has been a record year for tourism, in the period between January to October, 882,531 tourists have come to Nepal, up from 757,448 tourists in the corresponding period a year ago. This represents a more-than-healthy 16.5 percent jump. According to the Department of Immigration, 109,733 tourists came to Nepal in October alone, the highest ever for the month.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had expected one million tourists to visit Nepal last year; 940,218 had come.
Most tourists this year are from China and India
Most tourists this year are from China and India. A total of 161,963 Indians toured Nepal in the first 10 months of 2018, many of them on their way to Kailash Manasarovar. As hotel services in India have become expensive after the Indian government slapped them with luxury taxes, Nepal has become a good option for middle class Indians wanting to hold seminars, weddings and meetings.
Similarly, 121,418 Chinese tourists entered Nepal in this period. Nepal is taking additional initiatives to attract even more Chinese tourists, according to Nepal Tourism Board’s Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi.
In the same period, 73,677 came from the US while 50,161 came from Europe. Tourist arrivals from other South Asian countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also been increasing.
