The arrival of foreigners decreased by 5.1% in March compared to the same period last year, marking the first post-pandemic drop in tourism numbers. There are multiple factors that could have significantly contributed to this downturn in international visitors.
Last year, 128,171 visitors arrived in Nepal during March, which signals a potential shift in Nepal’s tourism industry. Periods between March and May and September and November, which mark the autumn season are the country’s peak tourism season. Which is why the decline of tourists arrivals in the month of March is quite concerning.
The country experienced a drop in total visitors from South Asia, including India. The total South Asian visitors numbered 35,287, a drop by 13.4%.
Similarly, the number of European tourists also experienced a fall of 10.5% in arrivals.
However, records show that Nepal has received a total of 298,500 international tourists during the first three months of 2025.
Top source countries for the month of March
| Source countries |
Number of visitors |
|
India |
21,412 |
|
China |
11,443 |
|
USA |
11,092 |
|
Sri Lanka |
8,886 |
|
UK |
5,995 |
