Nepal has witnessed a remarkable surge in tourist arrivals, with October 2023 marking a historic milestone. According to data from the Immigration Department, Nepal welcomed a total of 117,306 tourists during the month, as confirmed by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). This figure represents an unprecedented record for the highest number of tourists entering Nepal in a single month.
NTB Director Maniraj Lamichhane noted that the previous record, set in October 2019 with 113,000 tourists, was surpassed this year. The surge in arrivals can be attributed in part to the gathering of non-resident Nepalis in Nepal during this period, who are counted as tourists upon visiting the country.
Tourism entrepreneurs have reported that the majority of tourists arrive from neighboring countries such as India, Bangladesh, China, and Sri Lanka. However, a substantial number of non-resident Nepalis also contribute to the growing numbers, particularly those coming from the United States and Europe.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 52,121 tourists came to Nepal in October 2022, 15,715 in 2021 and 1,831 in 2020. In this month, the maximum number of 18,480 tourists from India came to Nepal. Americans are in second place. According to the data, 14,879 tourists came to Nepal from America. The British are in third place. As many as 8,217 tourists have come to Nepal from this country. Similarly, 6,880 tourists came from China, 6,0 75 from Australia, 5,916 from Germany, 5,271 from France, 4,292 from Bangladesh, 2,507 from Sri Lanka and 2,67 from Italy.
In the first 10 months of 2023, Nepal has welcomed over 800,000 tourists, as reported by the Nepal Tourism Board, with a total of 809,678 tourists arriving between January and October.