‘Nepalis spent Rs 459 billion on domestic and overseas travel in a year, Rs 395 billion stayed within Nepal’

KATHMANDU: Nepalis spent a combined Rs 459 billion on domestic and outbound travel during the fiscal year 2081/82 (2024/25), with the overwhelming majority of expenditure remaining within the country, according to Nepal’s first comprehensive Domestic Tourism Survey 2081/82 released on Thursday by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The landmark survey provides the first nationwide statistical assessment of domestic tourism, measuring travel patterns, spending behavior, purposes of travel and tourism’s contribution to Nepal’s economy.

The findings underscore the growing importance of domestic tourism as an economic pillar, revealing that more than half of Nepalese households participated in tourism activities during the survey period.

Domestic travel accounts for over 86 percent of total tourism spending

According to the survey, Nepalis spent Rs 395 billion on domestic travel, accounting for more than 86 percent of total tourism expenditure.

Outbound tourism spending reached Rs 63.64 billion, including:

• Rs 47.97 billion spent on overnight foreign trips.
• Rs 15.67 billion spent on same-day cross-border visits.

The figures suggest that domestic tourism continues to dominate Nepal’s travel economy despite increasing international mobility.

Health-related travel emerges as the biggest spending category

One of the survey’s notable findings is that healthcare-related travel generated the highest share of tourism expenditure, accounting for 31.78 percent of total travel spending.

Shopping ranked as the second-largest expenditure category, representing 26 percent of overall tourist spending.

By contrast, adventure tourism accounted for only 0.04 percent of total expenditure, while volunteer work, migration-related travel and other miscellaneous purposes together represented just 0.8 percent.

The survey indicates that domestic travel in Nepal remains largely driven by practical needs such as healthcare, shopping and family visits rather than leisure activities alone.

Public transport remains the backbone of domestic tourism

Transportation data show that 68.7 percent of transport-related tourism expenditure is spent on public transportation, highlighting buses and other public vehicles as the primary means of travel for domestic tourists.

The average expenditure per trip stood at Rs 11,922.

Health-related journeys recorded significantly higher spending, with average expenditure reaching Rs 23,516 per trip.

More than half of Nepali households participated in tourism

The survey estimates that Nepal had 6.91 million households, of which 3.621 million households (52.4 percent) undertook at least one tourism-related trip during the reference year.

These households were classified as “tourist households.”

Among them:

• 33.3 percent travelled once during the year.
• 32.2 percent travelled twice.
• 34.5 percent travelled three or more times.

Meanwhile, 3.289 million households (47.6 percent) did not undertake any tourism activity during the survey period.

The data indicate that for every 1,000 households in Nepal:

• 523 are tourist households
• 477 are non-tourist households

Young generations travel the most

The survey highlights a strong generational trend in domestic tourism.

Members of Generation Alpha and Generation Z were found to travel more frequently than older age groups, with travel frequency gradually declining as age increases.

Among tourist households:

• Generation Z (13–28 years) accounts for 26 percent of travellers.
• Generation Alpha and Beta (0–12 years) represent 22.6 percent.
• Adults aged 29–44 years account for 22 percent.

The findings suggest younger Nepalis are increasingly embracing travel, driven by education, recreation, social interaction and digital connectivity.

Family visits remain Nepal’s biggest tourism driver

Travel motivations differ significantly between same-day and overnight trips.

For same-day domestic travel, the leading purpose was:

• Shopping (32.6%)
• Healthcare (20.1%)
• Visiting friends and relatives (20.1%)

For overnight domestic trips, however, visiting family and relatives overwhelmingly dominated, accounting for 65.5 percent of travel.

The findings indicate that family and social connections remain the strongest driver of domestic tourism in Nepal.

Average stay exceeds five days

The survey found that overnight domestic tourists stay an average of 5.33 days per trip.

Each tourist undertakes an average of 4.81 overnight trips annually.

Province-wise:

• Sudurpashchim Province recorded the longest average stay at 8.18 days.
• Madhesh Province also recorded an average stay of 8.18 days.

By travel frequency:

• Gandaki Province recorded the highest average annual travel frequency at 6.26 trips.
• Sudurpashchim Province recorded the lowest at 3.32 trips.

Education and training-related travel involved the longest average stay of 9.16 days, while pilgrimage and shopping trips were generally shorter.

Business travel recorded the highest annual frequency at 6.9 trips, whereas leisure and holiday travel averaged 3.02 trips annually.

Kathmandu, Chitwan and Kaski dominate domestic tourism

Among overnight domestic travellers, the country’s most popular destinations were:

• Kathmandu
• Chitwan
• Kaski

For leisure and holiday tourism specifically, Kaski emerged as Nepal’s most preferred destination, reflecting the continued popularity of Pokhara and surrounding attractions.

Outbound tourism largely driven by shopping

Between October 2024 and September 2025, Nepali residents made:

• 293,000 same-day foreign trips
• 620,000 overnight foreign trips

Shopping was the primary reason for outbound travel.

Among same-day foreign trips:

• 63.9 percent were undertaken primarily for shopping.

For overnight international trips:

• Shopping accounted for 40.3 percent.
• Religious travel accounted for 19.6 percent.

The survey also found that outbound travel peaks between Kartik and Poush, during which:

• 50.2 percent of same-day foreign trips occur.
• 32.8 percent of overnight foreign trips take place.

Average group size for outbound travel stood at just 1.2 persons, indicating that most international trips are made individually.

For same-day travel to India, 70.7 percent of total expenditure was spent on shopping, while Madhesh Province generated the largest number of such cross-border visits.

Domestic tourism contributes significantly to Nepal’s economy

Using the internationally recognized Tourism Satellite Account framework, the National Statistics Office estimates that domestic tourism generated Rs 407.17 billion in total tourism consumption.

This level of consumption created an estimated:

• Rs 331.84 billion in total production.
• Intermediate consumption worth Rs 187.34 billion.
• Gross tourism value added of approximately Rs 144.49 billion.

Based on Nepal’s estimated GDP of Rs 5.454 trillion during fiscal year 2024/25, domestic tourism contributed an estimated 2.65 percent to the national economy.

First comprehensive evidence of tourism’s economic importance

The survey represents Nepal’s first nationally representative effort to quantify domestic tourism and its economic significance.

Its findings demonstrate that domestic tourism has evolved into a major economic driver, with more than half of Nepali households participating in tourism activities, over Rs 400 billion generated in tourism consumption, and a measurable contribution of 2.65 percent to GDP.

The report also highlights the growing role of younger travellers, the importance of healthcare and family-related travel, and the dominance of public transport in supporting tourism mobility.

As policymakers increasingly focus on strengthening domestic tourism alongside international visitor arrivals, the survey provides a statistical foundation for evidence-based tourism planning, infrastructure development and investment across Nepal.