More than 720,000 tourists visited Nepal during the first eight months of 2024, according to data from the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). A total of 720,334 tourists arrived between January and August, marking an 8.3 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals compared to the same period last year.

In August 2024 alone, Nepal welcomed 72,719 tourists, an increase of 5,566 compared to August 2023, when 67,153 tourists visited the country. NTB Director Maniraj Lamichhane noted that foreign tourist numbers have been steadily rising, driven by tourism promotion programs. He expressed optimism that this trend would continue, with more visitors expected from neighboring and other countries.

According to the NTB, India topped the list of tourist arrivals in August, with 25,832 visitors. Other major source countries included China (6,614), the United States (5,614), Sri Lanka (4,851), and Bangladesh (3,077). In comparison, August 2022 saw 41,304 foreign tourists, while August 2021 recorded just 6,093. Pre-pandemic figures from August 2019 stood at 94,749.

March 2024 recorded the highest tourist influx of 111,376, while July saw the lowest with 64,599 arrivals. Monthly tourist figures for the year are as follows: 79,100 in January, 97,426 in February, 111,376 in March, 103,076 in April, 90,211 in May, and 76,736 in June.

Tourism in Nepal has shown a strong recovery since the COVID pandemic, with 1,014,885 tourists visiting the country in 2023. The government has set an ambitious target of attracting 1.6 million foreign tourists in the current fiscal year, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation's implementation of the Tourism Strategy Plan (2016–25) and the Visit Nepal Decade. The Department of Tourism is also working to develop infrastructure in 100 identified tourist destinations across the country. -- RSS