Nepal Welcomes over 1.2 million foreign tourists in FY 2025/26

KATHMANDU: Nepal welcomed more than 1.2 million international tourists during the last fiscal year, with India emerging as the country’s largest tourism source market and accounting for more than one-fourth of total arrivals.

According to data released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a total of 1,209,357 foreign tourists visited Nepal in fiscal year 2025/26 (FY 2082/83). Of the total arrivals, 311,531 tourists came from India, representing approximately 25.76% of Nepal’s total international tourist arrivals.

The United States ranked as Nepal’s second-largest source market, contributing 111,325 visitors, followed closely by China, which accounted for 109,892 arrivals.

Other major source markets included Bangladesh with 58,163 tourists, the United Kingdom with 56,649, Australia with 53,195, Sri Lanka with 43,211, Bhutan with 36,289, Myanmar with 30,737, Germany with 29,296, Thailand with 27,201, Japan with 25,762, and Malaysia with 25,640 visitors.

October recorded highest monthly arrivals

Tourist arrivals remained strong throughout the fiscal year, with October recording the highest monthly arrivals. A total of 124,829 international tourists entered Nepal during the month.

March followed with 119,390 arrivals, while February recorded 114,152 and September 111,780 tourist arrivals.

The figures indicate continued momentum in Nepal’s tourism recovery, with several key international markets showing strong demand for the country’s mountain, adventure, cultural and wellness tourism products.

India and China remain key focus markets

The Nepal Tourism Board has intensified promotional campaigns in India and China, the country’s two closest and most strategically important tourism markets.

During FY 2025/26, the NTB conducted more than 12 promotional activities across major Indian cities, including Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi. Overall, more than 40 tourism promotional programmes were organized in international markets during the fiscal year.

In the final three months of the fiscal year, the board also organized various cross-border tourism marts, fairs and promotional events across Nepal’s southern belt, stretching from Jhapa in the east to Kanchanpur in the west.

The initiatives were aimed at leveraging tourism infrastructure investment in border areas and attracting more visitors through land-based entry points. According to the board, the campaigns have contributed to a noticeable increase in tourist arrivals through Nepal’s border crossings.

Tourism promotion and connectivity drive growth

Hikmat Singh Air, acting chief executive officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, attributed the positive growth in tourist arrivals to intensified international promotion, improved air connectivity and increased collaboration with the private sector.

“The tourist arrivals recorded in fiscal year 2025/26 clearly indicate that Nepal’s tourism industry is moving from recovery toward sustainable growth. Along with our major source markets, we will continue to strengthen targeted promotion in emerging and high-potential markets and work to establish Nepal as an attractive year-round destination,” Air said.

He emphasized that China offers significant potential for Nepal’s tourism industry, but said the country needs to strengthen targeted promotional campaigns and expand business-to-business (B2B) engagement in the Chinese market.

“Regular international sales missions are necessary to strengthen Nepal’s presence in China as well as other high-potential source markets such as the United States, Australia and Bangladesh,” Air said.

He added that the NTB is moving toward expanding such programmes in partnership with the private sector under the FY 2026/27 budget, with the objective of making tourism promotion more result-oriented.

Nepal eyes further growth through wellness tourism

The NTB also expects international tourist arrivals to increase further in the current fiscal year, supported by new tourism promotion initiatives and the government’s focus on wellness and health-related tourism.

The government has declared 2027 as the Year of Wellness Tourism, with the sector expected to emerge as a new area of opportunity for Nepal’s tourism industry.

The NTB said its future strategy will focus on attracting high-spending tourists, increasing visitors’ length of stay and diversifying Nepal’s international tourism markets.

While traditional source markets such as India, the United States and China will remain central to Nepal’s tourism strategy, the board plans to intensify promotion in emerging markets with strong growth potential.

With more than 1.2 million international visitors recorded in FY 2025/26, Nepal’s tourism industry is now looking beyond post-pandemic recovery and toward sustained growth, market diversification and higher-value tourism. The challenge for the country will be to convert rising visitor numbers into longer stays, higher tourist spending and broader economic benefits across destinations beyond Kathmandu and the major established tourism hubs.