Nepal has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-improving tourism economies, with its tourism performance improving by 5.1 percent between 2024 and 2026, according to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI).
Nepal ranked ninth among the 10 economies recording the fastest improvement during the period. Albania topped the list with a 7 percent improvement, followed by Vietnam at 6.3 percent, Laos at 6.1 percent and Qatar at 6 percent.
Malaysia ranked fifth with a 5.8 percent improvement, followed by Thailand at 5.6 percent. The Philippines and Morocco recorded 5.5 percent improvements, while Sri Lanka ranked 10th with a 4.3 percent increase.
The WEF said improvements in cultural resources, tourism infrastructure and air connectivity contributed to the broader recovery of the global tourism sector. Fourteen of the index’s 17 pillars improved between 2024 and 2026, with cultural resources recording the largest increase at 9.6 percent.
Tourism-related scores improved in 92 percent of the 110 economies covered by the TTDI during the review period. The global average score increased by 2 percent, marking the fastest improvement since 2019.
The Asia-Pacific and Middle East and North Africa regions recorded the strongest improvements, rising by 3.6 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Seven of the 10 fastest-improving economies were developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan ranked first globally in overall travel and tourism competitiveness, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland and Italy.
Japan received 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, while international visitor spending reached $59.7 billion. The WEF attributed part of the growth to Japan’s strategy of promoting destinations beyond major cities and established tourist areas.
Globally, international tourist arrivals reached 1.5 billion in 2025, an increase of 5 percent from 2024 and 4.4 percent above the 2019 level.
The travel and tourism sector contributed $11.6 trillion to the global economy in 2025 and supported 366 million jobs worldwide.
The report noted that emerging tourism economies are improving faster than many established destinations, supported by competitive prices, natural attractions and growing demand for sustainable tourism.
