Tourist Arrivals Up 8.8% Y-o-Y in February 2026: NTB

Nepal welcomed 105,441 foreign tourists in February 2026, marking a steady year-on-year growth and surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Arrivals in February increased by 8.8 percent compared to the same month in 2025, said the Nepal Tourism Board, citing raw data from the Department of Immigration. Nepal had recorded 96,880 tourist arrivals in February last year.

The latest figures also exceed February 2019 levels, when 102,423 tourists had visited the country, indicating a steady post-pandemic recovery.

India remained the largest source market in February, followed by China and the United States. Sri Lanka climbed to fourth position, reflecting growing interest from Buddhist-majority countries. Myanmar ranked fifth, while the United Kingdom, Australia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Germany completed the top ten source markets.

The rise in overall arrivals was largely driven by Indian visitors. Tourist inflow from India grew by 18.5 percent year-on-year, reaching 22,745 in February 2026, up from 19,187 in the same month last year.

Arrivals from China also posted significant growth. Nepal received 10,816 Chinese tourists in February, a 30.6 percent increase compared to 2025. Sri Lanka recorded one of the highest growth rates, with arrivals surging 72 percent to 7,515 visitors, up from 4,370 last year.

Myanmar emerged as another fast-growing market, with a 91.6 percent increase in arrivals. A total of 6,035 Myanmar nationals visited Nepal during the month. Malaysia also showed improvement, sending 2,137 tourists.

However, not all major markets recorded growth. Tourist arrivals from Bangladesh declined by 33.7 percent to 3,212 visitors, compared to 4,847 in February 2025. The United States, one of Nepal’s key long-haul markets, also saw a marginal drop. Arrivals from the US stood at 9,710, down from 10,348 last year.

Australian arrivals fell sharply to 1,426, compared to 3,737 in February 2025. In contrast, the United Kingdom recorded an 11.1 percent increase, with 5,618 British tourists visiting Nepal in February this year.

In January 2026, Nepal had welcomed 92,753 tourists, representing a 15.7 percent year-on-year increase.

However, the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran is likely to dampen the tourism recovery, experts said.

The peak tourist seasons in Nepal are spring (March and May) and autumn (September-November).

The escalation has led to widespread airspace closures and cancellations of international flights across the Middle East — a key transit region for services to and from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu — disrupting travel since last Friday.