Increase in Foreign Tourist Arrivals in Nepal, with a Notable Presence of Indian Visitors

Kathmandu, August 4: The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) reported a slight increase in foreign tourist arrivals in July. A total of 71,775 foreign tourists visited Nepal during this month. This figure represents a 2.3% rise compared to the 70,193 foreign tourists recorded in July 2025. According to NTB data, there has been a year-on-year increase in foreign tourist numbers every month up to July, except for March and April this year.

International travel has been impacted by rising tensions between the United States and Iran, flight disruptions, and increasing fuel prices, which have led to higher airfare costs. As a result, the growth in tourist numbers has been limited.

In July, Indian tourists made up the largest group of visitors to Nepal, with 23,490 Indians visiting, accounting for 32.73% of total foreign tourists. Although there was a significant surge in Indian tourist numbers in May and June, this figure saw a slight decline in July.

Conversely, there was a substantial increase in tourists arriving from China. In July, 11,099 Chinese tourists visited Nepal, marking a 61.09% increase from the 6,890 tourists in July 2025. This number also surpasses the pre-COVID record of 10,215 Chinese tourists in July 2019 by 8.65%.

The United States ranked third in terms of tourist arrivals, with 7,754 visitors in July. Following the U.S. were Bangladesh with 4,179 tourists, the United Kingdom with 3,773, and Australia with 2,428 tourists.

Due to the significant number of Indian tourists, South Asia continues to be the largest source region for tourism in Nepal. In July, a total of 29,755 tourists from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries visited Nepal, making up 41.46% of all foreign tourists. However, this figure is 11.93% lower than the 33,787 tourists recorded in July 2025.

Tourists from other SAARC countries included 991 from Bhutan, 475 from Pakistan, 581 from Sri Lanka, and 39 from the Maldives. On the other hand, there was a notable increase in tourists from Asian countries outside South Asia.

In July, 17,424 tourists from other Asian countries visited Nepal, representing 24.28% of total foreign tourists. This number is a 33.05% increase compared to the 13,052 tourists from July 2025.

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