Nepal has welcomed more than one million foreign tourists via air in the first 11 months of 2024, according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). From January to November, a total of 1,055,533 international visitors arrived, signaling strong recovery in the tourism sector.
Despite this progress, reaching the annual target of 1,315,000 tourists seems unlikely. The NTB estimates an additional 70,000 visitors in December, which would bring the year’s total to approximately 1,125,000 — still shy of the goal.
In November alone, Nepal recorded 114,000 tourist arrivals, reflecting a 5.4 percent increase compared to November 2023. NTB Director Maniraj Lamichhane highlighted that total arrivals for 2024 are expected to exceed the 2023 figure of 1,014,871 by about 10 percent.
The board had aimed to surpass the pre-pandemic peak of 1,197,191 arrivals in 2019, but this milestone remains out of reach. Nevertheless, Nepal’s tourism recovery is noteworthy, with a 96 percent recovery rate for the Asia-Pacific region, based on data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
While the target remains unmet, these numbers underscore Nepal’s resilience in rebuilding its tourism industry post-pandemic.
