The arrival of tourists in Nepal in September this year surged by 5.8 percent as compared to the corresponding month of last year.

According to a report from the Department of Immigration, prepared by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) on Wednesday, the country welcomed 96,305 international visitors in September 2024.

This rise brings the total number of foreign tourists entering Nepal in the first nine months of 2024 to over 800,000.

However, Nepal witnessed a decline in international tourist arrivals from the SAARC region in September, with a notable 8.8% drop compared to the same period last year. The drop is mainly due to a 19.9% decrease in visitors from India, Nepal's biggest tourism market. In September 2024, 22,984 Indian tourists visited Nepal, down from 28,694 in the same month of 2023. 

However, the report indicates that despite the decrease, India remained the largest contributor to Nepal's tourism, accounting for 23.9% of total arrivals.

Conversely, there was an increase in arrival of tourists from other SAARC nations, including a 63.2% rise in tourists from Sri Lanka and a 10.4% increase from Bangladesh.

Furthermore, Nepal experienced a 9.2% increase in arrival of tourists from other parts of Asia. The number of Chinese tourists, however, slightly decreased by 1.6% to 8,042. Visitors from South Korea rose by 16.5%, while Malaysian tourists increased significantly by 36.9%.

Following India, the USA ranked as the second-largest contributor to Nepal's tourism in September, with 10,084 visitors. China followed closely with 8,042 arrivals, while Australia contributed 5,038 tourists. Sri Lanka added 4,915 visitors, and the UK brought in 4,493. Other notable contributors included Bangladesh with 4,103 visitors, Germany with 2,704, South Korea with 2,351 arrivals, and Malaysia, which secured the tenth spot with 2,280 visitors.

The number of tourists from Europe also increased, recording an overall growth of 12%. The UK topped the list of contributors of European tourists, with 4,493 visitors, experiencing a 23.4% rise compared to September 2023.

Germany, however, saw a decline of 5.2%, while notable growth was recorded from countries like Austria (44%) and Norway (52%).