Nepal Hits a Milestone: 1 Million International Tourists in 2023

Between January and December 2023, Nepal had visitors of 1 million international tourists marking the most significant visits in the last four years. There is a hike in their numbers because China opened the borders. People from India are visiting in greater numbers.

Nepal Tourism Board announced on Wednesday that 1 million tourists have arrived. Nepal only had 3 times that it scored over a million tourists yearly.

In 2018, there were 1.17 million foreign tourists that unpacked their bags in Nepal surpassing the 1 million target for the first time. Next year in 2019, the count of visitors increased by a little to 1.19 million primarily due to incremented air traffic links with various major cities of China.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit early in 2020, bringing all activities to a halt. In 2020 and 2021, Nepal received a total of 230,085 and 150,962 international tourists. The number of tourist visits has become 614,869 by 2022.

Due to the pandemic, the tourism industry in Nepal faced a huge financial setback in 2020. With the arrival of people after recovery; most luxury hotels are observing higher profitability than the pandemic time. This is because more events and conventions demands are being made.

As per tourism board statistics as of December 27th, India was the top source market for Nepal, with 314,000 cumulative arrivals, followed by the United States (100,000) and China (60,000).

Nepal welcomed a record-high number of Indian visitors, as around 50,000 pilgrims denied Tibetan access for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and instead visited Nepali holy sites like Muktinath and Lumbini. Arrivals from India by land are not counted as tourists.

Chinese tourist numbers jumped sharply after China opened its borders and flight frequencies increased. China was Nepal's second-largest tourism source before the pandemic began. Arrivals from China crossed 100,000 for the first time in 2013 following improved air connectivity, reaching a pre-pandemic peak of 169,543 visitors in 2019.

Travel industry representatives say the return of Chinese tourists could significantly benefit Nepal's economy, but poor road infrastructure connecting major tourist hubs to Kathmandu remains an impediment. The government has been urged to consider airfare subsidies until road projects are completed.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have said in their reports that Nepal’s economy is expected to rebound with strong tourism growth. With two new international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara, tourism officials project arrivals could double to 2 million next year if promoted effectively. However, some observers worry geopolitical issues regarding these airports may hamper growth. As such, the government needs to handle this situation properly.