In what could be seen as a relief to the Nepali tourism sector, tourist arrivals in the country in February stood at 73,255. There were fears that the Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara in January could affect the arrival of foreign visitors. However, the latest statistics of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) show a growing number of tourists coming to Nepal. According to NTB statistics, 128,329 tourists visited Nepal in the first two months of 2023. The tourist arrival in February this year is the highest in the last three years. Nepal welcomed 19,766 tourists in February 2022 and 9,146 tourists in February 2021. Before the global travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic came into force, 98,190 tourists had come to Nepal in February 2020. With China announcing the reopening of outbound travel for its citizens, there has been growth in the number of Chinese tourists in February. A total of 2,266 Chinese tourists came to Nepal in February compared to 1,426 in January.

While the number of Chinese visitors is gradually growing, Nepal received the highest number of tourists from India and the US in February.

According to NTB, 18,401 Indian tourists and 7,887 US visitors came to Nepal in February. The country welcomed 4,802 tourists from Thailand, 4,325 from the United Kingdom, 3,246 from South Korea, 2969 from Australia, 2,232 from Myanmar, 2,175 from Sri Lanka, and 2108 from Germany. With the easing of travel restrictions and China reponing outbound travel, Nepali tourism entrepreneurs are pinning high hopes for 2023. NTB on its 24th anniversary announced that it aims to attract at least one million foreign tourists in 2023. In 2022, tourist arrivals reached over 600,000 without any significant contribution from China. Nepal welcomed only 9,595 Chinese tourists in 2022. Tour operators say they are receiving increasing inquiries from major source markets including China of late. While the FITs (free independent travelers) have already started coming to Nepal, group travelers from the northern neighbor are yet to come here. Travel trade entrepreneurs say that a significant contribution of Chinese tourists would be required if Nepal wants to meet the target of one million in 2023. The tour operators expect Nepal to be included in the next list of China's destination countries hopefully as early as possible. However, China has failed to include Nepal in its list of countries where its citizens can travel starting from February 6. China has included 20 countries in the first phase where Chinese travelers can travel. The northern neighbor included Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Laos, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Fiji, Cuba, and Argentina as an outbound destination for Chinese citizens to travel as the pilot destinations. Besides China opening the door for its citizens to visit Nepal, their arrivals will also depend on how quickly flights between the two countries are normalized, according to tour operators. Himalaya Airlines has recently resumed its Kathmandu-Beijing direct flight after a hiatus of 32 months. Tourist Arrivals

Month	2022	2023
January	16,975	55,074
February	19,766	73,255

Top Five Source Countries in February

India                              18,401 US                                       7,887 Thailand                           4,802 UK                                      4,325 South Korea                          3,246