Nepal Welcomes 404,275 Foreign Tourists in First Five Months of 2023

Nepal experienced a positive influx of foreign tourists in the first five months of 2023, with a total of 404,275 arrivals. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), May alone saw 77,730 tourists visiting the country. The data indicates steady growth, with 55,074 arrivals in January, 73,255 in February, 99,426 in March, and 98,773 in April.

In May, India contributed the highest number of tourists with 36,575 arrivals, followed by the United States (8,545), China (4,667), the United Kingdom (2,927), and Australia (2,184). Other notable contributors during the month were Bangladesh (2,164), Malaysia (1,321), Germany (1,165), France (1,097), and South Korea (1,039).

The tourism sector, which faced challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is gradually recovering. The government issued a record-breaking 478 Everest climbing permits this spring. After a decline in tourist arrivals in 2020 and 2021, with 230,000 and 151,000 visitors respectively, Nepal witnessed an improvement in 2022, attracting 614,869 tourists. The positive trend of increasing arrivals is continuing in 2023.