Tourism Statistics of Nepal 2023

Tourism Statistics

Nepal is a complete tourism package with unparalleled natural beauty, a rich cultural heritage and varied climates. It is home to the world’s highest mountains, with eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains within its borders. These mountains and the high hills have continued to attract mountaineers, rock climbers, trekkers and other adventure seekers from all over the world. Nepal’s cultural and natural diversity have been conserved in 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Tourism’s earnings (2023) constituted 1% of the Gross Domestic Product Average expenses per visitor /day (2022): USD 41 Fourth largest industry in terms of employment, providing 11.5% of the jobs Most tourism businesses (43.6%) located in Bagmati Province. Tourism-related industries: 21.9% of all registered industries Among FDI-receiving industries, tourism related: 33% Average tourist length of stay: 13.1 days. Bilateral air services agreement: 42 countries

The data reveals that in 2023, 3,19,936 tourists from India visited Nepal, surpassing the figures from 2019, where 2 lakh 54 thousand 150 Indian tourists arrived. The American tourist count for the year 2023 was 100,357, exceeding the 2019 count of 93,241. Chinese tourist arrivals in 2023 amounted to 60,878, reflecting a positive shift compared to the 2019 figure of 169,543.

This achievement marks the third consecutive year with tourist arrivals surpassing 10 lakh, following 2018 and 2019. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the subsequent years, Nepal has successfully maintained a steady growth in its tourism sector.

The government's 10 lakh tourist target for 2023 was met, and Minister Sudan Kirati emphasized the importance of promoting local tourism. Anticipating an exciting 2024, experts cite improved China-Nepal connectivity, including a direct Kathmandu-Lhasa flight by Himalaya Airlines. President of HAN, Binayak Shah, believes Nepal has hosted 30-35 lakh tourists till date and shall increase with sincere government efforts.

Prime Minister Prachanda has set a target of doubling tourist arrivals to 20 lakhs by 2024. To achieve this, he has urged the activation of the tourism decade program and infrastructure development. This positive trend in tourist arrivals is a ray of hope for Nepal's tourism industry, and signals expectations for continued growth and prosperity in the coming years

The data reveals that in 2023, 3,19,936 tourists from India visited Nepal, surpassing the figures from 2019, where 2 lakh 54 thousand 150 Indian tourists arrived. The American tourist count for the year 2023 was 100,357, exceeding the 2019 count of 93,241. Chinese tourist arrivals in 2023 amounted to 60,878, reflecting a positive shift compared to the 2019 figure of 169,543.

2023 was 100,357,The American tourist count for the year exceeding the 2019 count of 93,241.

According to the ‘Nepal Tourism Statistics-2022’ published by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, the average stay of tourists has dropped to 13.1 days in 2022. The average length of stay in 2021 was 15.5 days, a ten-year high. With tourists shortening their stay in Nepal, their spending too declined in 2022. The average daily spending of tourists declined to $40 per day, down from $48 per day in 2021.

Tourists’ length of stay Year Days 

(The average stay of tourists in Nepal never reached 15 days in the last decade except for 2020 and 2021 – the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic period when the average stay of tourists in Nepal had reached 15 days, according to the Economic Survey 2079/80 published by the Ministry of Finance.)

2022 13.1 

2021 15.5 

2020 15.1 

Average expense per visitor Year Expense 

2022 $40.5 

2021 $48 

2020 $65 

Tourism Earnings Year Expense 

2022 $326.28m 

2021 $112.50m 

2020 $217m

In 2023, Nepal received 936 tourists from India. The American tourist count for the year was 100,357, which was higher than the 2019 count of 93,241. According to the 'Nepal Tourism Statistics-2022' published by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, the average length of stay for tourists reduced to 13.1 days in 2022. This is a decline from 15.5 days in 2021, which was a ten-year high. The average daily spending of tourists also decreased to $40 per day in 2022 from $48 per day in 2021. 

The average time spent by tourists in Nepal has never reached 15 days in the last decade, except for 2020 and 2021, which were the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic period when the average stay of tourists in Nepal had reached 15 days, as per the Economic Survey 2079/80 published by the Ministry of Finance.

The average expense per visitor in 2022 was $40.5, whereas in 2021, it was $48, and in 2020, it was $65. In terms of tourism earnings, Nepal earned $326.28 million in 2022, $112.50 million in 2021, and $217 million in 2020.

The average tourist’s stay in the country in the previous three years was around 12 days. It was 12.7 days in 2019, 12.4 days in 2018 and 12.6 days in 2017. Before that the average tourist stay was 13.12 days and 13.16 days in 2011 and 2016 respectively.

• However, in 2022, when the pandemic subsided and arrival of tourists gradually improved, the length of stay decreased. According to the economic survey, the average stay of tourists dropped to 13.1 days in 2022, which was 15.1 days in 2020 and 15.5 days in 2021.

• The 'Nepal Tourism Statistics 2021' released by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation also shows that tourists stayed in Nepal for the longest period of time in the last decade. In other years, the average length of stay was 12 to 13.5 days.

• According to the economic survey, 10 percent of the total tourists come for adventure trekking/mountaineering and around 64.7 percent come for entertainment, holidays and travel. The share of pilgrims is 12.9 percent.

Nepal has 20 protected areas to manage its significant biodiversity and wildlife, which includes 12 national parks covering around 20% of the country's land area. The tourism industry has a significant impact, contributing approximately 6.7% to Nepal's GDP, with a total impact of US$2.2 billion.

Key Highlights of 2023

• The total number of tourists in 2023 crossed 1 million, reaching 1,014,885 according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) data. 
  
• The last instance of tourist arrivals crossing 1 million was in 2019, pre-pandemic when the country received 1.19 million visitors.  
  
• The highest number of tourists came from neighbouring India, estimated at 314,000. China and the US followed with 60,000 and 100,000 tourists, respectively.
  
• Chinese arrivals sharply rose after borders reopened in March 2022, ending a 3-year restriction. Direct flights also resumed between the countries.
  

Risks and Challenges 

However, realising the projected growth rates will require navigating several downside risks and challenges.

 

First, while a million tourists is a major rebound from the pandemic depths, it is still 15% below the 2019 peak. Given looming global recession fears, recovering those lost volumes could take sustained effort. 

 

Second, regional geo-political issues around Nepal’s new airports remain unresolved. Any escalation here could dampen travel plans through these gateways.  

 

Finally, high airfares, poor last-mile connectivity and limited tourism infrastructure continue to plague the industry. Addressing these gaps needs coordinated public-private action over the next 3-5 years.

 

The Road Ahead

Notwithstanding the risks, the resilience shown by Nepal’s tourism sector in 2023 is commendable. With the basics in place around safety protocols, easing restrictions and promotional campaigns, Nepal must now focus on upgrading its tourism infrastructure. 

 

New airports, roads, hotels and enhanced environmental sustainability across mountain trails and heritage sites should be priority areas. Combined with policy reforms encouraging entrepreneurship and investments, these steps can help Nepal scale new highs in the tourism decade from 2023-2032.

 

Momentum to Continue in 2024

With the World Bank and the IMF projecting a strong growth in tourism, 2024 looks promising. The potential doubling of tourist arrivals to 2 million is a realistic target, especially with promoting new international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara

COUNTRY-WISE ARRIVAL DATA

SN	Country	Male	Female	Total
1	Afghanistan	122	16	138
2	Albania	33	48	81
3	Algeria	174	100	274
4	American Samoa	6	2	8
5	Andorra	16	21	37
6	Angola	3	5	8
7	Antigua and Barbuda	27	9	36
8	Argentina	619	911	1530
9	Armenia	87	106	193
10	Australia	20790	18004	38798
11	Austria	2137	1940	4077
12	Azerbaijan	66	50	116
13	Bahamas	11	5	16
14	Bahrain	331	44	375
15	Bangladesh	28362	8113	36483
16	Barbados	1	2	3
17	Belarus	261	321	582
18	Belgium	3127	2643	5770
19	Belize	4	2	6
20	Benin	19	0	19
21	Bermuda	0	0	0
22	Bhutan	5888	5560	11450
23	Bolivia	38	30	68
24	Bosnia and Herzegovina	26	44	70
25	Botswana	6	17	23
26	Brazil	1707	1563	3271
27	British Virgin Islands	3	1	4
28	Brunei Darussalam	34	40	74
29	Bulgaria	330	381	711
30	Burkina Faso	5	2	7
31	Burundi	5	6	11
32	Cambodia	1103	1483	2586
33	Cameroon	67	9	76
34	Canada	7839	6851	14690
35	Cape Verde	7	0	7
36	Chad	5	0	5
37	Chile	356	435	791
38	China	33773	27062	60878
39	Colombia	414	485	899
40	Comoros	25	3	28
41	Congo	13	9	22
42	Costa Rica	138	133	271
43	Cote d'Ivoire	79	9	88
44	Country of Residence	13	5	18
45	Croatia	281	261	542
46	Cuba	14	33	47
47	Cyprus	164	96	260
48	Czech Republic	2106	1566	3672
49	Democratic Republic of the Congo	24	9	33
50	Denmark	1774	1954	3728
51	Djibouti	5	0	5
52	Dominica	65	9	74
53	Dominican Republic	12	22	34
54	Ecuador	169	138	307
55	Egypt	1155	439	1594
56	El Salvador	70	39	109
57	Equatorial Guinea	1	1	2
58	Eritrea	14	7	21
59	Estonia	201	238	439
60	Ethiopia	133	147	280
61	European Union	54	48	102
62	Fiji	65	75	140
63	Finland	891	1000	1891
64	France	11808	11360	23168
65	French Polynesia	2	0	2
66	Gabon	1	1	2
67	Gambia	4	1	5
68	Georgia	117	114	231
69	Germany	14091	12885	26980
70	Ghana	113	103	216
71	Gibraltar	3	1	4
72	Greece	716	709	1426
73	Greenland	0	2	2
74	Grenada	8	3	11
75	Guatemala	50	57	107
76	Guernsey	2	0	2
77	Guinea	13	1	14
78	Guinea-Bissau	1	1	2
79	Guyana	5	5	10
80	Haiti	1	4	5
81	Holy See (Vatican City)	14	0	14
82	Honduras	22	17	39
83	Hong Kong (Chinese special administrative region)	1463	2009	3473
84	Hungary	901	916	1817
85	Iceland	180	167	347
86	India	203865	115804	319936
87	Indonesia	2109	2660	4769
88	Iran, Islamic Republic of	828	739	1567
89	Iraq	54	16	70
90	Ireland	1520	1267	2787
91	Isle of Man	6	3	9
92	Israel	3527	2887	6417
93	Italy	6801	6145	12948
94	Jamaica	26	41	67
95	Japan	9587	6874	16463
96	Jersey	12	15	27
97	Jordan	458	166	625
98	Kazakhstan	312	490	802
99	Kenya	379	409	788
100	Kiribati	1	0	1
101	Kosovo	17	20	37
102	Kuwait	942	213	1155
103	Kyrgyzstan	88	281	369
104	Lao People's Democratic Republic	378	319	697
105	Laos	12	7	19
106	Latvia	241	310	551
107	Lebanon	520	247	767
108	Lesotho	2	2	4
109	Liberia	21	1	22
110	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	8	2	10
111	Liechtenstein	13	5	18
112	Lithuania	311	421	732
113	Luxembourg	180	149	329
114	Macao Special Administrative Region of China	39	76	115
115	Madagascar	17	14	31
116	Malawi	13	20	33
117	Malaysia	9396	9410	18807
118	Maldives	324	230	554
119	Mali	15	3	18
120	Malta	104	100	204
121	Marshall Islands	1	1	2
122	Mauritania	4	0	4
123	Mauritius	332	222	554
124	Mexico	1306	1549	2855
125	Moldova	53	66	119
126	Monaco	2	3	5
127	Mongolia	260	371	631
128	Montenegro	26	17	43
129	Morocco	396	611	1007
130	Mozambique	15	15	30
131	Myanmar	4557	8371	12929
132	Namibia	30	11	41
133	Netherlands	5477	5241	10718
134	Netherlands Antilles	1	1	2
135	New Caledonia	2	4	6
136	New Zealand	1884	1686	3574
137	Nicaragua	11	14	25
138	Niger	10	1	11
139	Nigeria	65	48	113
140	North Korea	12	1	13
141	North Macedonia	16	9	25
142	North Sudan	12	5	17
143	Norway	1170	1454	2624
144	Occupied Palestinian Territory	22	16	38
145	Oman	245	62	307
146	Other	14	8	22
147	Pakistan	3574	1331	4908
148	Palau	0	1	1
149	Panama	22	18	40
150	Papua New Guinea	31	10	41
151	Paraguay	16	16	32
152	Peru	124	159	283
153	Philippines	1608	4318	5928
154	Poland	3027	2948	5977
155	Portugal	2602	1731	4334
156	Puerto Rico	0	1	1
157	Qatar	199	56	255
158	R_union	4	4	8
159	Refugee (as defined in Article 1)	495	232	727
160	Refugee (other than as defined under the code XXB above)	21	9	30
161	Romania	919	1100	2019
162	Russia	5851	6204	12060
163	Rwanda	43	36	79
164	Saint Kitts and Nevis	52	19	71
165	Saint Lucia	14	3	17
166	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	4	0	4
167	Samoa	2	4	6
168	San Marino	1	4	5
169	Sao Tome and Principe	1	1	2
170	Saudi Arabia	881	195	1076
171	Senegal	41	18	59
172	Serbia	280	282	562
173	Seychelles	3	4	7
174	Sierra Leone	30	17	47
175	Singapore	4435	4617	9052
176	Slovakia	635	480	1115
177	Slovenia	316	303	619
178	Solomon Islands	4	1	5
179	Somalia	7	6	13
180	South Africa	835	968	1803
181	South Korea	11388	12350	23743
182	South Sudan	9	1	10
183	Spain	6446	5946	12393
184	Sri Lanka	8374	13472	21851
185	St.Kitts and Nevis	1	1	2
186	Stateless Person	73	54	127
187	Sudan	279	103	382
188	Suriname	14	8	22
189	Swaziland	6	6	12
190	Sweden	1460	1336	2796
191	Switzerland	3038	3011	6049
192	Syrian Arab Republic	191	55	246
193	Taiwan(China)	2821	4930	7754
194	Tajikistan	53	44	97
195	Thailand	10058	15620	25678
196	The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	43	47	91
197	Timor-Leste	36	23	59
198	Togo	3	2	5
199	Tonga	1	1	2
200	Trinidad and Tobago	48	51	99
201	Tunisia	362	499	861
202	Turkey	2138	1850	3989
203	Turkmenistan	9	12	21
204	Uganda	71	175	246
205	Ukraine	542	1017	1559
206	United Arab Emirates (UAE)	395	161	556
207	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK)	29284	23579	52866
208	United Nations (UN)	1139	807	1946
209	United Republic of Tanzania	85	69	154
210	United States of America (USA)	53894	46445	100357
211	Uruguay	635	863	1498
212	Uzbekistan	126	307	433
213	Vanuatu	23	5	28
214	Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	64	67	131
215	Viet Nam	4257	9628	13897
216	Wallis and Futuna Islands	1	0	1
217	Yemen	264	52	316
218	Zambia	42	33	75
219	Zimbabwe	50	79	129
	Total			1014885

Top Countries Contributing to Tourism in Nepal

The data highlights the top countries from where the tourists arrived. The leading contributor is India, with a total of 319,936 tourists, accounting for a significant 31.52% of the total tourist arrivals. This is followed by the United States of America (USA) with 100,357 tourists (9.89%), and China with 60,878 tourists (6%). Other notable contributors include the United Kingdom (52,866 tourists), Australia (38,798 tourists), Bangladesh (36,483 tourists), Germany (26,980 tourists), Thailand (25,678 tourists), South Korea (23,743 tourists), and France (23,168 tourists).

 

Out of the total tourists, 566,632 were male, and 447,846 were female. This distribution indicates a slightly higher inclination of male tourists visiting Nepal as compared to female tourists. The gender distribution points towards a slightly higher male demographic, which might be influenced by factors like adventure tourism and trekking, which are popular in Nepal. However, the substantial number of female tourists also indicates the country's growing appeal across different gender groups.

Nepal is a diverse united states with various cultures, languages, religions, and ethnicities. However, the tourism enterprise has been selling a limited range of sights including nature, mountains, hiking, and jungle safaris to draw visitors

Nepal, a diverse country with varied cultures, languages, religions, and ethnicities, has been promoting a limited range of attractions to attract tourists, including nature, mountains, hiking, and jungle safaris.

Nepal’s branding strategy focuses on positioning the country as more than just a destination. It aims to showcase Nepal as a transformative journey of self-discovery, cultural immersion, and natural wonder. Nepal strives to remain true to its roots while embracing innovation and prioritizing sustainability. 

The ultimate goal is to become a globally recognized and beloved travel brand that inspires and enriches the lives of all who visit.

Source: https://www.greatnepaltreks.com/nepal-tourism-statistic-2023