The Nepal Tourism Board Management can relax and should actually be proud of their tireless work. A healthy growth of 18.8% has been observed in the international visitor arrivals to Nepal in August 2018. The forward momentum continues in the month of August 2018, with 87,679 international visitors. With this, the arrival figures in January–August period reached 680,996; an accumulative increase of 18.2% over the same period in 2017.
While tourist arrivals from India grew by 37.3 % this month in comparison to the figures of the same month in 2017 the arrivals from Sri Lanka surged by 74.5%. Similarly, the overall arrivals from SAARC countries registered a sturdy growth of 48.3% over the same month last year.
Visitors’ arrival from China has continued to soar with an exponential growth of 63.9% in comparison to the arrivals in the same month last year. Arrivals from Asia (other than SAARC) have also recorded a robust growth of 36.6 %. Likewise, the numbers of visitors from Japan and Malaysia have also increased by 3.7%and 34.9 % respectively.
European markets generated 21.3 % more visitors in August this year. Arrivals from the UK, Germany and France increased by 21.7%, 31.9% and 25.7% respectively. However, the arrivals from the Netherlands declined by 30%.
Australia and New Zealand have also witnessed growths of 39.8 % and 18.5% in August 2018 as compared to the arrival figures of 2017. Similarly, the numbers of visitors from the USA and Canada have also grown by 15% each in August 2018.
While the neighboring countries remain the most dependable and strongest source markets for Nepal, the continuous trend is also attributed to NTB’s tenacious efforts to allure expanding traveling classes in India and China. Better positioning of Nepal’s tourism endowments has enhanced Nepal’s image and resulted in increased interest from the major source markets. Co-operation and partnership between the public and private sector also play a pivotal role which reflects perfectly in this growth.
Amidst the global hike in oil prices and the consequent increase in transport cost travelers trim down their length of stay and consumption of tourism services. Against continuing downward revisions in macroeconomic expectations, a straight eight-month growth in international tourist arrivals paves the way towards the goal of Visit Nepal Year 2020.
| VISITORS ARRIVALs BY NATIONALITY ( By land and air) | ||||
| Country of Destination: NEPAL | ||||
| Calendar Year: 2018 August | ||||
| Country of Nationality | August | % Change | % Share August 18 | |
| 2017 | 2018 | |||
| ASIA (SAARC) | ||||
| Bangladesh | 2251 | 2,311 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| India | 14057 | 19,295 | 37.3% | 22.0% |
| Pakistan | 289 | 488 | 68.9% | 0.6% |
| Srilanka | 9674 | 16,878 | 74.5% | 19.2% |
| Sub-Total | 26271 | 38,972 | 48.3% | 44.4% |
| ASIA (OTHER) | ||||
| China | 7349 | 12,048 | 63.9% | 13.7% |
| Japan | 1857 | 1,925 | 3.7% | 2.2% |
| Malaysia | 1069 | 1,442 | 34.9% | 1.6% |
| Singapore | 464 | 463 | -0.2% | 0.5% |
| S. Korea | 2321 | 1,870 | -19.4% | 2.1% |
| Chinese Taipei | 656 | 740 | 12.8% | 0.8% |
| Thailand | 477 | 905 | 89.7% | 1.0% |
| Sub-Total | 14193 | 19,393 | 36.6% | 22.1% |
| EUROPE | ||||
| Austria | 182 | 203 | 11.5% | 0.2% |
| Belgium | 276 | 295 | 6.9% | 0.3% |
| Czech Republic | 127 | 119 | -6.3% | 0.1% |
| Denmark | 160 | 175 | 9.4% | 0.2% |
| France | 1073 | 1,349 | 25.7% | 1.5% |
| Germany | 1192 | 1,572 | 31.9% | 1.8% |
| Israel | 290 | 264 | -9.0% | 0.3% |
| Italy | 1634 | 2,193 | 34.2% | 2.5% |
| The Netherlands | 826 | 578 | -30.0% | 0.7% |
| Norway | 75 | 100 | 33.3% | 0.1% |
| Poland | 183 | 204 | 11.5% | 0.2% |
| Russia | 252 | 334 | 32.5% | 0.4% |
| Switzerland | 322 | 0.4% | ||
| Spain | 2938 | 3,505 | 19.3% | 4.0% |
| Sweden | 115 | 86 | -25.2% | 0.1% |
| U.K. | 2973 | 3,619 | 21.7% | 4.1% |
| Sub-Total | 12296 | 14,918 | 21.3% | 17.0% |
| OCEANIA | ||||
| Australia | 1007 | 1,408 | 39.8% | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 162 | 192 | 18.5% | 0.2% |
| Sub-Total | 1169 | 1,600 | 36.9% | 1.8% |
| AMERICAS | ||||
| Canada | 670 | 775 | 15.7% | 0.9% |
| U.S.A. | 4024 | 4,628 | 15.0% | 5.3% |
| Sub-Total | 4694 | 5,403 | 15.1% | 6.2% |
| OTHERS | 15155 | 7,393 | -51.2% | 8.4% |
| Total | 73,778 | 87,679 | 18.8% | 100.0% |
| Source: Nepal Immigration Department | ||||
| Analyzed & Compiled by Nepal Tourism Board | ||||
