Nepal witnesses highest number of int’l tourists since start of pandemic

Pokhara / Nov 3: The tourism industry remains crippled by the effects of COVID-19 almost for the last two years. However, of late, the tourism sector which was hit hard by the pandemic has shown some progress, however small that might be. Nepal recorded the highest arrival of international tourists in October, following the surge of the pandemic in March 2020.

According to Maniraj Lamichhane, director of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), as many as 23,284 international tourists arrived in Nepal in October alone. Prior to this, 22,450 international tourists arrived in Nepal in April 2021. Although the arrival of foreign tourists in the tourist season in April was also high, the seasonal period of October has managed to surpass the numbers of April.

Meanwhile, as many as 134,016 foreign tourists arrived in Nepal in April 2019, while just 2,025 tourists arrived in the country in October 2020. However, the situation of the tourism sector has been improving gradually, Lamichanne said. Over 100,000 international tourists arrived in Nepal from January to October of the current year.

According to Lamichanne. 8,874 tourists arrived in Nepal in January, 9,146 in February, 14,977 in March, 22,450 in April, 1,468 in May, 1,043 in June, 2,991 in July, 5,917 in August, and 9,818 in September. Similarly, 14,222 foreign tourists exited the country in October.

“Nepal has recorded the highest flow of foreign tourists in October since the start of the pandemic,” Lamichanne said. “We have expected the number of tourists to increase in the upcoming months,” he added. “The tourism sector has just started to show signs of recovery. If the cases of COVID-19 continue to decrease, there is no doubt that the sector will flourish again,” he said.

Lamichanne said that Nepal is considered a safe country for tourists to visit at the moment. “The guests who have arrived in Nepal have already been vaccinated against the virus. Also, tourism entrepreneurs and workers have also been vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.