India is top inbound tourist market for Nepal in February 2024

India has emerged as Nepal's primary inbound tourist market in February, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) announced on March 2, signalling a gradual recovery for the tourism sector in the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Out of the total 97,426 tourists that arrived in the country via air route last month, 25,578 were from India, making it the leading source of inbound tourism. China followed with 9,180 visitors, and the US came in third with 9,089 visitors, according to the data.

Thailand secured the fourth position with 4,799 inbound visitors, while the UK and Bangladesh ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, with 4,571 and 4,099 tourists each. Mani Lamichhane, Director of the NTB, noted that although the data reported over 25,000 Indian visitors in February, the actual number is likely higher due to a significant number of tourists arriving from India via land routes.

Over 10 lakh foreign tourists visited Nepal in 2023; maximum from India

In January, Nepal welcomed 18,041 visitors from India. The number of tourists arriving by air in Nepal in February marked a 33% increase from February 2023, when 73,255 visitors arrived. Compared to February 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw 102,423 tourist arrivals, the recovery rate was 95.12%, the NTB reported.

NTB Director Lamichhane expressed optimism about the recovery of Nepal's tourism sector in 2024, citing the positive trend indicated by the February data. With the onset of the tourism season in March, he anticipates a significant increase in the number of visitor numbers next month.

In the first six months of 2023, Nepal also registered a significant increase in number of Indian tourists as 1,68,000 tourists from across the border visited the country by air compared to 97,313 visitors during the same period in 2022, official data showed.

Recently, Nepal announced that it would host its inaugural tourism conference aimed at showcasing the country as a secure and appealing destination for travellers from the LGBTQ+ community. Dubbed 'Yatra 2 Happiness: First Rainbow Tourism International Conference', the two-day event is scheduled to be held on April 20-21 in Kathmandu.